EUSTACE 
'WILLIRMS 


I 


LIBRARY 

UMVEKSITro 
C*UFOIW,A 

SAN  DIEGO 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  QUARTERBACK 


MEN    TUMBLING    OVER    EACH    OTHER." 


THE 

SUBSTITUTE  QUARTERBACK 


BY 

EUSTICE    WILLIAMS 

AUTHOR  OF 
"THAT  KENTUCKY  CAMPAIGN,"  ETC. 


Hlustrntrt  bu 
L.  J.   BRIDGMAN 


BOSTON 
DANA    ESTES   &   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1900 
BY  DANA  ESTES  &  COMPANY 


Colonial 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


DEDICATED 
TO   THE    MEMORY   OF 

Captain  IMtlliam  N. 

THOUGH    GONE    TO    THE    GREAT    BEYOND,    HE    STILL    LIVES    IN 

OUR    HEARTS.      THE    INFLUENCE   OF   HIS    LOFTY    EXAMPLE, 

THE   RESULT  OF   HIS   LIFE'S  GREAT  WORK,  CAN 

NEVER   PASS   AWAY.      THEY   ARE   RICH 

AND    ENDURING    LEGACIES 


LIST  OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"MEN  TUMBLING  OVER  EACH  OTHER"    .        Frontispiece 
"  A  GENERAL  BATTLE  BEGAN  "         ....       23 

"  '  YOU  DIRTY  DOGS  !  '  " 56 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  RIDER 71 

" ' THEY  KNOW  YOUR  SIGNALS ! '"   .        .        .        .92 

"  THE  DOOR  WOULD  HAVE   BEEN   KNOCKED   FROM 

ITS  HINGES"      .        .        .        .        .        .        .126 

"<FOR  UNYIELDING  JUSTICE  OR  MERCY?'"    .        .158 
"'I  KNOW  HE  WILL  REDEEM  HIMSELF!'"       .         .     II 


THE 

SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 


COME,  boys,"  said  the  coach,  "wake 
up,  get  some  life  in  you.  Every- 
body try  hard.  Now  play."  But  it  was  no 
better  this  time  than  it  had  been  twenty 
times  before.  We  came  at  it  as  if  we 
were  afraid  of  each  other,  stumbling  over 
and  running  into  one  another,  more  like  an 
awkward  lot  of  youngsters  than  a  great 
eleven.  On  this  trial  big  Engle  and  little 
Harkis  had  bumped  heads,  and  both  felt  it, 
too,  even  through  their  long  hair.  So,  as  we 
gathered  around  the  ball  again,  we  all  stood 
up  and  paused  a  moment  in  order  to  give 
the  left  and  right  half-backs  a  chance  to 
rearrange  their  craniums  on  the  inside  and 
ease  the  pain  on  the  outside. 

The  coach  said  nothing.     It  was  such  a 


12  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

miserable  blunder  of  what  we  had  hoped 
would  develop  into  a  very  fine  play. 
Though  he  was  too  charitable  to  pass  any 
harsh  criticism  upon  us,  still  I  thought  I 
could  see  a  line  of  contemptuous  pity  around 
his  mouth.  There  was  a  heartless  laugh 
from  among  half  a  dozen  "  subs,"  and  a  dis- 
tant shout  of  derision  from  the  curious 
younger  boys,  who  had  climbed  a  tree  at 
one  side  of  the  field  to  get  a  glimpse  over 
the  tall  fence  and  so  obtrude  themselves 
upon  the  secret  rehearsal  of  signals. 

"  Line  up  again,"  said  Mr.  Mathews,  our 
coach,  in  a  patient  voice,  after  Engle  and 
Harkis  had  forgotten  their  head  bumping. 
"  Now  be  careful.  Don't  come  in  behind 
too  quickly,  Allen,  you  make  them  tangle 
up  there  on  the  line.  You  see,  it's  entirely 
a  tackle  play  with  the  wedge  formation  to 
help  them  open  it  up.  Wait  a  minute, 
Russell;  suppose  you  give  Sulden  a  try  at 
quarter." 

The  sub  whose  name  was  called  pulled 
off  his  sweater  and  ran  quickly  in  behind 
the  line. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  13 

"  Do  you  know  this  sequence  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Mathews. 

"  I  think  I  do ;  what  is  it  ? "  replied 
Sulden,  crouching  down  behind  the  centre. 

"Oh,  you  know,  —  8-41-13-5,"  growled 
"  Potsey  "  Zell,  the  centre  rush. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Mathews,  "  that's  it.  Now 
everybody  be  careful.  Let  her  go." 

"8-41-13-5,"  called  Captain  Allen. 

There  was  a  bending  of  long-haired  heads, 
a  sudden  turning  and  a  quick  start,  a  heavy 
rush  of  feet  at  short  intervals,  and  we  had 
run  through  the  sequence  correctly,  includ- 
ing the  difficult  tackle  play,  for  the  first 
time  since  we  had  been  trying  it. 

We  paused  for  further  instructions  from 
Mr.  Mathews,  who  was  coming  at  a  trot  to 
catch  up  with  us. 

There  was  a  faint  and  distant  cheer  from 
the  tree,  "  Rah,  rah,  Belle  Monte  !  " 

"  You  are  all  right,  you  bet,  Sulden," 
shouted  one  of  the  gang  of  subs  as  they 
came  running  toward  us. 

"  Well  done,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Mathews,  "  if 
you  can  just  keep  it  up  we  will  try  it  on  the 


14  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

second  eleven  to-morrow.  Now,  Sulden,  run 
them  through  some  of  those  others,  and 
throw  in  the  tackle  play  about  every  third 
or  fourth  one." 

"  I  should  say  it  was  all  right,"  said  Sulden, 
standing  up  very  straight,  and  looking  first 
from  one  man  to  another  and  finally  at  Mr. 
Mathews.  "  It  went  like  clockwork.  In 
order  to  run  off  a  hard  trick  a  team  has  to 
be  started  right.  We  made  only  one  break, 
and  that  was  coming  through  the  wedge 
tackle  play.  Wilkins  was  too  slow  in  get- 
ting a  start,  and  as  I  was  already  under  way 
he  nearly  tripped  me  up." 

I  did  not  notice  this.  What  was  the  use  ? 
Sulden  knew  as  well  as  I  that  he  swung  too 
far  out  and  had  gotten  in  my  way,  but  I  did 
not  care  to  wrangle  with  him. 

"  I  did  notice  a  little  hitch,"  said  Mr. 
Mathews,  "  but  I  could  not  make  out  what 
it  was.  Wilkins,"  he  continued,  turning 
toward  me,  "you  should  start  quicker,  and 
when  you  get  under  way  don't  stop  to  think, 
but  hustle.  Try  to  work  your  mind  and 
your  body  at  the  same  time." 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  15 

My  brother,  who  made  Princeton  'Varsity 
the  year  before,  told  me  once  never  to  answer 
back  a  coach  on  the  field,  but  listen  to  his 
words  carefully  and  obey  him  the  very  best 
way  I  could.  I  only  nodded  to  Mr.  Mathews 
and  turned  into  my  place. 

As  I  crouched  down  in  the  line  again,  I 
glanced  back  between  my  legs  and  saw 
little  Russell  standing  some  twenty  yards 
down  the  field.  He  was  slowly  working  his 
arms  into  his  sweater,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  a  disconsolate,  downcast  air  about  him 
which  aroused  my  sympathy  very  much. 
Just  then  the  ball  was  put  in  play,  and 
when  we  stopped  to  line  up  I  looked  around 
once  more.  You  see,  it  went  very  hard  with 
him,  veteran  that  he  was,  to  be  displaced  for 
inefficiency  by  a  young  sub.  But  the  team 
had  been  making  a  failure  of  this  new  and 
intricate  tackle  play  solely  on  account  of  his 
blunders,  and  he  realised  this  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  us.  I  was  not  his  only  sympathiser, 
for  several  others  were  looking  back,  and 
even  old  "Potsey"  Zell  glanced  over  his 
shoulder  once.  He  had  been  our  comrade 


1 6  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

in  arms  on  many  a  hard-fought  field  and  we 
knew  him  not  only  as  our  quarter-back  but 
as  the  quiet  little  fellow  he  always  was. 
While  in  most  respects  a  fine  player,  still 
Russell  had  his  great  fault.  He  was  a  fast 
runner,  a  swift  and  accurate  passer,  and,  as 
all  the  boys  used  to  say,  tackled  like  a  fiend. 
However,  he  was  the  slowest  man  on  the 
team  to  see  through  a  new  trick,  and,  being 
at  quarter,  of  course  this  became  all  the  more 
apparent.  He  never  made  a  mistake  after 
a  formation  once  became  fixed  in  his  head, 
but  the  trouble  lay  in  getting  it  there.  This 
seemed  a  strange  thing,  too,  for  he  was  one 
of  the  best  and  quickest  mathematicians  in 
the  whole  school,  and  the  way  he  translated 
Horace  delighted  the  "  Cap'n's  "  soul.  Still 
he  was  very  slow  on  football  tricks. 

This,  as  I  said,  caused  confusion  on  the 
new  tackle  play,  though  we  were  hoping  that 
Russell  might  soon  catch  on  and  all  would 
be  well.  That  trick,  however,  was  a  real 
poser  for  him,  and  at  last  Captain  Allen  and 
Mr.  Mathews  saw  that  something  must  be 
done.  So  they  decided  to  take  out  Russell 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  I/ 

and  give  Sulden  a  trial.  We  might  have 
dropped  this  tackle  play  for  the  advantage 
of  keeping  Russell  in  his  place,  but  there 
were  three  or  four  other  new  and  complex 
ones  for  us  to  learn  after  we  had  mastered 
this.  Besides,  it  was  now  Tuesday  and  we 
had  no  time  to  spare.  The  great  game  took 
place  on  Saturday.  Everything  should  be 
in  fine  working  order  by  that  time. 

Sulden,  the  boys  said,  was  a  right  nice 
sort  of  a  fellow,  but  he  had  a  "  big  head."  It 
was  his  first  session  at  Belle  Monte,  and  I 
suppose  he  presumed  too  much  for  a  young- 
ster, though  he  could  undoubtedly  play  good 
football.  He  was  one  of  the  quickest  boys 
I  ever  saw,  and  possessed  an  especial  knack 
for  the  very  thing  of  which  Russell's  weak- 
ness consisted.  It  did  not  seem  exactly  the 
right  thing  for  a  young  sub  to  jump  in  and 
crowd  out  an  old  hand  like  Russell,  but  at 
Belle  Monte  the  best  man  was  always 
chosen  for  the  place.  Past  services  or 
other  influences  were  never  considered. 
All  applicants  for  both  football  and  base- 
ball teams  submitted  to  this  merciless 


1 8  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

code,  and  the  whole  school  took  a  pride 
in  it. 

Yet  it  made  us  sad  to  think  that  there 
was  a  possibility  of  Russell's  watching  from 
the  side  line  the  all-important  contest  near 
at  hand. 

Belle  Monte 's  team  was,  with  a  couple  of 
exceptions,  formed  of  the  same  men  who 
had  composed  it  for  two  seasons  past.  This 
was  the  reason  of  our  strength,  in  which 
every  scholar  of  the  famous  old  school 
gloried.  It  was  their  dearest  boast  that 
Belle  Monte  had  not  known  defeat  on  the 
football  field  for  two  whole  years,  and  now 
she  was  nearly  through  a  third  season  of 
unbroken  triumphs.  Belle  Monte  may  have 
been  a  great  educational  institution,  but  in 
our  eyes  just  then  it  stood  most  important 
as  holding  the  football  championship  of  the 
state.  They  all  looked  up  to  us  and  we 
were  proud  of  it. 

Will  I  ever  forget  that  game,  two  years 
before,  when  we  started  upon  our  great 
record  ?  It  was  my  first  game  of  importance 
at  school,  in  fact  the  first  hard  game  in 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  19 

which  I  had  ever  taken  part.  Randall- 
Masons'  were  the  acknowledged  champions 
before  then.  Our  team  was  green  and  its 
strength  unknown,  while  theirs  was  said  to 
have  been  made  up  of  the  best  players  in 
the  state.  Rumour  even  hinted  that  one 
or  two  of  them  had  received  matriculation 
inducements  from  certain  big  universities. 

Will  I  ever  forget  my  feeling  of  awe  when 
they  came  trotting  out  on  the  field  in  their 
mud-bespattered  suits,  or  the  rattling  yell 
with  which  the  large  delegation  of  their 
fellow  students  received  them  ?  I  will  never 
cease  to  remember  that  queer  sensation  of 
fear  and  excitement  I  had  at  the  kick-off,  or 
my  feelings  when  on  the  first  line  up  I  got  a 
good  look  at  the  man  opposite  me,  who,  Mr. 
Mathews  said,  "  was  the  crack  young  end  in 
all  that  part  of  the  country."  It  was  a  hard 
struggle  and  a  well  earned  victory,  and, 
though  battered  and  bruised,  we  were  borne 
smiling  off  the  field  by  our  schoolmates, 
who  were  raving  maniacs  in  the  delirium  of 
their  joy.  From  that  time  on  we  had  drawn 
greatness  to  ourselves.  One  after  another 


20  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

we  overthrew  St.  John's  College,  Smith's 
Institute,  Fisher's  Military,  Pauloffs,  and 
several  others  not  so  important.  Then  came 
that  Thanksgiving  Day  game  with  Ashville. 
This  school  was  only  twenty  miles  away,  and 
being  the  nearest  was  of  course  our  bitterest 
rival.  In  baseball  and  field  athletics  it  had 
always  been  the  most  desperate  sort  of  nip 
and  tuck  between  us,  while  in  football  it 
was  even  worse.  Though  the  struggle  for 
supremacy  had  been  nearly  equal,  still  it 
strikes  me,  from  what  I  knew  of  records  and 
traditions,  that  Ashville  had  gotten  a  shade 
the  best  of  us  during  all  the  history  of  our 
contests.  Naturally  the  bare  knowledge  of 
such  a  thing  made  us  at  Belle  Monte,  if  pos- 
sible, even  more  bitter.  Besides,  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  boys  who  went  to  Ashville, 
and  those  who  attended  Belle  Monte,  were 
so  entirely  different.  Belle  Monte  was  a  sort 
of  a  half  school,  half  college,  with  board- 
ing and  day  scholars  combined,  though  the 
former  largely  predominated.  Ashville  was 
a  technical  school  and  there  were  none  but 
boarders.  A  large  proportion  of  the  boys 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  21 

at  Belle  Monte  were  sons  of  prosperous 
farmers  in  that  section  of  the  state.  At 
Ashville  most  all  the  boys  were  sons  of 
well-to-do  men  in  large  cities.  They  were 
the  products  of  athletic  clubs  and  boat 
houses,  and  were  a  sturdy  race.  They  had 
a  way  of  calling  us  "  rubes  "  down  at  Belle 
Monte,  which  infuriated  us  to  the  last 
degree.  At  least  they  used  to  do  so 
before  Belle  Monte  became  great.  Though 
we  knew  Ashville  to  be  a  noble  enemy,  still 
rivalry  was  so  bitter  we  would  not  admit 
such  a  thing,  except  in  our  most  reasonable 
moods.  I  fancy  it  must  have  been  about 
the  same  way  on  the  other  side. 

But  as  to  that  Thanksgiving  Day  game. 
It  was  our  first  and  only  meeting  of  the  year. 
They  had  heard  of  our  successive  triumphs 
with  apprehension,  while  we  had  heard  of 
theirs  with  a  corresponding  feeling.  When 
the  day  of  battle  arrived,  we  had  the  better 
of  them,  as  far  as  prestige  was  concerned. 
They  suffered  defeat  at  the  hands  of  Randall- 
Mason,  and  only  by  the  merest  "  fluke " 
managed  to  beat  Pauloff's.  We  were  both 


22  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

trained  rigorously  to  the  last  day.  The 
game  was  a  great  event.  It  took  place  on 
Belle  Monte 's  field,  which  was  the  best  in 
the  state.  More  people  were  there  than  I 
had  ever  before  seen  at  any  football  match, 
except  when  I  saw  Princeton  beat  Yale. 
Both  schools  were  arrayed  on  either  side  of 
the  field,  with  crowds  of  their  respective 
friends  and  adherents. 

But  the  game  itself,  ah,  it  was  the  struggle 
of  a  lifetime !  In  the  first  half  neither  side 
scored,  and  we  lost  little  Harkis  because  of 
a  bad  ankle.  We  had  the  wind  in  the  second, 
and  the  splendid  manner  Allen  would  send 
his  punts  sailing  far  down  near  their  goal- 
line  fairly  took  the  starch  out  of  them. 
There  were  only  ten  more  minutes  to  play, 
when  Engle  got  through  and  went  for  forty 
yards  before  he  was  thrown.  Then,  up  and 
away,  and  Allen  had  dodged  around  the  end 
for  twenty  odd.  We  sent  rugged  old  Moore 
plowing  through  for  ten,  and  then,  —  for  it 
was  only  a  short  distance,  —  I  took  it  over 
the  line.  This  nearly  killed  them,  and  in 
five  minutes  we  had  it  over  again.  We  came 


"A    GENERAL   BATTLE    BEGAN." 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  2$ 

back,  and  went  right  after  them  once  more, 
with  our  friends  on  the  left  side  crazy  with 
joy,  and  the  other  side  dark  and  ominously 
silent.  We  had  it  on  the  line,  which  in  the 
rule  means  over,  when  the  whistle  blew. 
However,  they  claimed  that  one  of  our  men 
had  shoved  it  up  after  time  had  been  called. 
Then  something  happened  which  put  a  last- 
ing stain  on  the  names  of  both  schools.  It 
came  about  so  suddenly  that  no  one  was 
ever  certain  how  it  really  did  occur.  Our 
side  of  the  story  is  that  some  one  hit  Russell 
and  knocked  him  down.  I  thought  it  was 
Markham,  their  crack  guard,  who,  by  the 
way,  is  first  cousin  of  Sulden ;  but  nobody 
ever  knew  positively.  Instantly  a  fearful 
slugging  was  on  between  the  two  teams.  I 
ran  in  and  tried  to  stop  it,  but  somebody  hit 
me  so  hard  on  the  back  of  the  neck  that  I 
immediately  gave  up  my  efforts  as  peace- 
maker and  took  a  hand  myself.  As  soon  as 
the  fight  started,  both  crowds  ran  into  the 
field,  and  a  general  battle  began.  It  took 
twenty  minutes  for  all  the  professors  of  both 
schools,  every  peaceably  inclined  person  on 


24  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

the  grounds,  and  those  "  rube  "  police,  who 
had  been  especially  detailed  for  the  occa- 
sion, to  stop  the  trouble.  They  say  it  was 
twenty  minutes,  but  I  did  not  see  it  done 
myself.  •  It  seemed  to  me  more  like  two 
hours.  The  last  good  look  I  had  at  what 
was  happening  around  me,  was  just  before 
the  two  schools  came  together.  They  did 
not  straggle  into  the  field  pell-mell,  —  they 
seemed  to  rush  out,  each  side  in  a  solid 
mass.  It  reminded  me  even  then  of  what  is 
described  in  Caesar  as  "  the  onslaught  of  the 
soldiers."  But  this  was  all  I  saw,  and  it  only 
consisted  of  a  lightning  glimpse  over  the 
shoulder  of  an  Ashville  man  who  was  doing 
his  best  to  knock  my  head  off.  I  rushed 
him  through,  and  drove  my  knee  into  his 
stomach  as  I  did  so.  He  doubled  up  on  the 
ground  like  a  jack-knife.  These  tactics  may 
not  have  been  so  fair,  but  what  of  that  in 
such  a  melee?  I  hardly  straightened  up, 
when  somebody  grabbed  me  from  behind, 
around  the  neck.  With  a  desperate  struggle, 
I  turned  and  found  it  to  be  Markham.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  been  doing  his  best  to 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  2/ 

disarrange  my  features  with  his  knuckles, 
and  was  succeeding  admirably.  I  clinched 
closer  to  him,  and  we  went  down.  There 
we  lay  rolling  and  struggling  on  the  ground, 
with  that  raging,  howling  mob  tramping 
over  us.  When  they  finally  stopped  the 
fight,  Markham  and  I  were  pulled  apart.  I 
remember  we  achieved  the  distinction  of 
being  the  last  ones  separated.  And  I  had 
started  in  as  a  peacemaker  ! 

We  both  bore  our  honours  of  battle  very 
heavily.  At  least  I  know  I  did,  and  hoped  at 
the  time  he  suffered  equally.  I  did  not  mind 
my  black  eye  and  swollen  mouth  so  much, 
but  I  was  sore  all  over  for  two  weeks  after- 
ward, where  they  had  walked  on  me.  Talk 
about  football  for  roughness,  why  the  des- 
perate game  we  had  just  won  was  as  gentle 
child's  play  to  that  fight.  I  did  not  know 
which  school  got  the  worst  of  it.  I  do  know, 
though,  that  two  of  our  boys  were  laid  up 
afterward,  and  any  number  nursed  black 
eyes  and  battered  noses  for  days.  Their 
list  of  "  killed  and  wounded  "  never  reached 
us.  I  recall  distinctly  looking  out  of  the 


28  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK: 

gymnasium  bath-room  window  at  several 
carriages  with  their  injured  driving  out  of 
our  grounds  toward  the  depot.  I  remember 
expressing  grim  joy  thereat  to  my  comrades. 
The  professors  had  run  us  all  indoors,  and, 
having  declared  a  state  of  siege,  were  patrol- 
ling the  grounds  to  make  us  stay  there  so 
no  one  could  get  out  and  investigate.  The 
depot  agent  said  afterward  that  he  had  seen 
several  Ashville  men  who  appeared  to  be 
pretty  well  trimmed  up  and  a  good  many 
others  who  wore  bad  eyes  and  bloody  noses. 
Then  there  was  a  funny  side  to  the  famous 
battle  or,  rather,  infamous  riot  Some  of  the 
boys  told  of  how  they  had  seen  "  Cap'n " 
(Captain  McDonnell,  our  dearly  beloved 
principal)  come  charging  into  the  fighting 
crowd,  snatching  boys  here  and  pulling  them 
there  in  his  efforts  to  restore  peace,  and  how 
a  big,  tall  Ashville  fellow  with  a  long  cane 
had  taken  a  smash  at  "  Cap'n's  "  high  beaver 
hat,  and  ruined  it  at  one  fell  blow ;  also  how, 
for  this  outrage,  the  big,  tall  fellow  had  his 
legs  knocked  from  under  him  and  was  tram- 
pled upon.  There  was  another  one  about 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  2Q 

meek  little  Mr.  Woodman,  the  English  pro- 
fessor, who  did  his  best  but  was  thrown  over 
the  fence,  so  some  of  the  boys  insisted,  and 
had  to  be  helped  to  his  room.  The  efforts 
of  the  Ashville  teachers  were  very  effective. 
Professor  Coleman,  their  principal,  who,  with 
several  of  his  assistants,  had  been  watching 
the  game  from  a  carnage  near  by,  was  active 
in  quelling  the  disturbance.  He  is  a  perfect 
giant,  and  our  boys  were  careful  not  to  aim 
any  blows  at  him.  There  was  another  story 
which  we  all  loved  to  hear.  It  told  of  how 
Mr.  Mathews  had  plowed  his  way  right 
through  the  middle  of  the  fight,  and  had 
done  more  toward  stopping  it  than  all  the 
others  put  together.  Some  of  the  boys 
heard  the  angry  words  that  "  Cap'n  "  and 
Professor  Coleman  exchanged  after  peace 
had  been  restored.  The  Ashville  boys, 
"  Cap'n  "  said,  were  a  miserable  set  of  hood- 
lums. Professor  Coleman  responded  that 
every  boy  in  Belle  Monte  was  a  rough 
and  a  rowdy.  More  hot  words  followed. 
"  Cap'n  "  said  that  if  athletic  sports  could 
not  be  conducted  in  peace  and  as  became 


3<D  TJIE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

gentlemen  they  should  not  be  carried  on  at 
all.  Professor  Coleman  responded  in  kind. 

"  We  don't  want  anything  more  to  do  with 
Belle  Monte  !  "  he  said. 

"  And  you  shall  not  have  anything  more 
to  do  with  us,  either,"  answered  "  Cap'n." 
This  passed  when  everybody  was  excited, 
but  mutual  apologies  followed  between  the 
professors  afterward.  However,  they  agreed 
it  was  best  for  the  interest  of  all  concerned 
that  the  two  schools  should  not  compete  in 
athletic  sports  again. 

So  it  came  about  that  Belle  Monte  and 
Ashville  had  nothing  more  to  do  with  each 
other,  though  the  rivalry  was,  if  anything, 
increased.  We  did  not  play  them  baseball 
that  spring,  though  the  championship  of  the 
State  lay  between  us,  nor  did  we  enter  into 
the  same  track  games.  Then  the  whole  of 
next  year  nothing  passed  but  criminations 
and  recriminations.  Still  the  rivalry  existed. 

The  present  season  made  our  third  of  un- 
broken football  triumphs.  Though  Ashville 
had  a  good  team,  yet  it  did  not  make  our 
showing  by  many  points.  However,  their 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  31 

baseball  record  of  the  previous  spring  had 
been  a  trifle  better  than  Belle  Monte's. 
But  we  always  held  that  football  was  the 
only  true  test  in  athletics. 

As  has  been  explained,  practically  our 
entire  team  was  made  up  of  the  same  men 
who  had  composed  it  three  years  before. 
For  most  of  us  it  made  our  last  session, 
hence  the  redoubled  efforts  to  uphold  that 
record. 

So  you  can  easily  understand  why  this 
next  Saturday's  game  with  Ashville  was 
looked  forward  to  as  the  greatest  event  in 
school  since  the  fight  on  Belle  Monte's  field. 
The  boys  talked  of  nothing  else,  after  ne- 
gotiations for  the  game  had  commenced. 
It  was  first  necessary  to  gain  consent  of  the 
two  principals.  Though  a  difficult  matter, 
the  diplomats,  of  which  there  were  several  in 
each  school,  finally  accomplished  it.  Then 
one  afternoon  Captain  Markham,  of  the  Ash- 
ville team,  and  a  couple  of  others  came  down 
to  Belle  Monte  to  arrange  for  the  game. 
They  all  met  in  my  room  to  "  fix  "  things. 
Besides  Allen,  there  were  Harkis,  Engle, 


32  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

and  several  others  who  represented  Belle 
Monte.  The  Ashville  captain  and  I  shook 
hands  over  our  fight  of  two  years  before,  and 
we  had  a  good  laugh  about  it.  All  of  us 
from  both  schools  were  on  the  best  of  terms 
in  short  order.  It  was  agreed  that  there 
should  be  a  game  on  the  Saturday  before 
Thanksgiving.  They  suggested  that  we  go 
to  Ashville,  while  we  thought  it  would  be 
best  to  play  at  Belle  Monte,  —  we  had  such 
fine  grounds. 

It  was  finally  decided  that  the  game  should 
be  played  on  neutral  territory,  and  Win- 
chester, which  is  half-way  between  Ashville 
and  Battleton,  was  chosen  as  the  place. 

I  was  sitting  in  the  reading-room,  just 
before  supper  the  afternoon  of  secret  practice, 
told  of  earlier,  when  Sulden  entered.  He 
seemed  all  smiles  and  good  spirits,  and,  as 
there  was  no  one  else  present,  he  immediately 
launched  upon  the  subject  uppermost  in  his 
mind.  For  reasons  I  will  explain  later  he 
had  always  treated  me  as  his  confidant,  and, 
being  a  new  boy  in  school  and,  besides,  nearly 
two  years  my  junior,  looked  up  to  me. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  33 

"  Ha,  ha,"  he  said,  clapping  his  hands, "  that 
was  a  great  signal  rehearsal  \ve  had ;  about 
the  best,  I  believe,  this  season." 

"  Yes,  it  was  pretty  fair,"  I  replied. 

"  Pretty  fair!  What  are  you  talking  about! 
Why,  everybody  down-stairs  said  we  ran  off 
that  hard  tackle  play  like  clockwork." 

Just  here  I  felt  tempted  to  give  him  a 
lecture,  for  telling  Mr.  Mathews  he  nearly 
tripped  over  by  my  swinging  into  him,  but  on 
second  thought  I  concluded  it  would  be 
more  in  keeping  with  my  age  and  experience 
not  to  notice  the  affair.  I  looked  very 
grave,  as  he  continued:  "Now  if  we  had 
worked  that  tackle  play  and  the  sequence 
with  it  in  the  game  against  Pauloff's,  last 
Saturday,  we  would  have  run  a  bigger  score 
on  them ;  or  if  we  could  have  even  worked 
the  sequence  on  Randall-Mason,  Saturday 
before  last,  —  there  in  the  second  half,  when 
they  went  all  to  pieces,  —  the  result  would 
have  been  more  like  thirty-six  than  sixteen 
to  nothing.  But  Russell,  you  know,"  —  and 
he  smiled  in  a  deprecatory  manner,  and 
shook  his  head. 


34  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  Russell,"  said  I,  trying  to  speak  quietly, 
but  feeling  that  I  was  becoming  angry  every 
moment,  "is  the  best  quarterback  in  this 
State,  and  he  will  prove  it  next  Saturday,  just 
as  he  has  often  done  so  for  the  past  three 
years." 

Sulden  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
picking  up  a  book  and  turning  the  leaves,  he 
replied :  "  For  all  you  know,  he  may  not  play 
in  next  Saturday's  game." 

This  was  quite  enough  to  make  me  mad 
and  justify  a  lecture.  He  knew  I  usually 
put  up  with  his  forwardness,  but  this  I  could 
not  tolerate. 

"  Now,  look  here,  Sulden,"  I  said,  sternly, 
"  this  won't  do.  Because  you  were  put  in  at 
quarter  to-day,  it  is  no  reason  that  you  have 
beaten  Russell  out  of  his  place.  You  don't 
remember  how  long  he  has  played  quarter 
for  Belle  Monte.  You  don't  know  of  the 
many  fine  tackles  and  great  runs  he  has 
made.  Maybe  if  you  had  seen  him  go 
through  the  whole  of  St.  John's  team  last 
year,  for  eighty  yards  and  a  touch-down,  you 
wouldn't  talk  so  glibly  about  beating  him 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  35 

out  of  his  place.  You  are  a  pretty  good 
man,  but  you  are  young  in  the  game.  You 
are  quick  enough  and  fast  enough,  —  but, 
say,  don't  talk  about  beating  Russell  out  of 
his  place,  around  here,  when  you  have  only 
been  in  on  one  afternoon.  You  know  you 
were  tried  earlier  in  the  year,  and  Mr. 
Mathews  said  then  that  you  were  all  right, 
and  would  do  well  enough  for  next  season. 
But  don't  say  anything  more  about  it. 
These  boys  would  be  very  mad  if  they  knew 
you  were  talking  that  way."  It  was  not  near 
the  severe  lecture  I  wanted  to  give  him. 

He  replied,  sarcastically :  "  I  thought 
this  was  old  Belle  Monte,  where  everybody 
gets  fair  play  and  the  best  man  wins.  Next 
year,  humph ! " 

I  jumped  up  quickly  from  my  chair: 
"  Why,  you  —  "  but  I  stopped  short,  for  at 
that  moment  "  Potsey  "  Zell  appeared  in  the 
doorway. 

He  did  not  notice  anything  out  of  the  way, 
but  said  something  about  the  unusual  tardi- 
ness of  supper,  as  he  threw  his  big  person 
into  an  armchair. 


36  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  It  is  rather  late,"  I  answered. 

"  Say,  kid,"  said  Zell,  turning  to  Sulden 
with  a  clumsy  wave  of  his  hand,  "  pretty 
work  there,  this  afternoon.  Nice  and  quick. 
You  got  away  all  right  and  made  your  team 
hustle." 

Sulden  fairly  glowed  with  the  compliment. 
Then  Zell  continued,  in  rather  a  more  re- 
served tone :  "  I  guess  by  next  year,  when 
Russell  goes  off  to  college,  you  will  be  the 
man  for  the  place.  Ha !  ha !  "  the  big  fellow 
roared,  springing  up,  for  at  that  moment  the 
supper  call  chimed  out.  Sulden  did  not 
have  a  chance  to  answer,  but  seemed  very 
thoughtful  as  he  walked  away. 

The  Sulden  family  and  ours  had  known 
each  other  a  couple  of  generations.  They 
lived  down  home  and  were  all  nice  people. 
I  liked  them  well  enough.  Before  Harry 
came  up  to  Belle  Monte  I  had  never  seen 
him  much,  as  he  went  with  a  younger  set  of 
boys.  When  they  finally  decided  to  send 
him,  Mrs.  Sulden  asked  me  to  look  after  his 
welfare.  She  wanted  to  know  all  about  the 
school.  Of  course,  I  told  her  that  it  was  the 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  37 

finest  place  under  the  sun,  and  if  Harry  did 
not  like  it  there,  he  would  never  be  satisfied 
anywhere.  He  could  not  room  with  me, 
though,  because  my  old  friend  Harkis  and 
I  lived  together,  but  he  should  be  next  door 
to  us.  She  thanked  me  in  such  kind  words, 
and  said  such  loving,  tender  things  about 
her  son,  whom  she  dreaded  sending  away  to 
"influences  she  feared  might  not  be  the 
best,"  that  it  brought  me  then  to  realise  why 
my  mother  had  been  so  distressed  when  I 
first  went  away. 

I  always  liked  Mrs.  Sulden.  She  had 
been  so  kind  and  nice  to  me  when  I  was  a 
little  fellow.  My  mother,  too,  thought  a 
great  deal  of  her.  Then  there  was  Evelyn, 
Harry's  sister,  older  than  him  by  more  than 
a  year.  She  thought  so  much  of  Harry,  and 
she,  too,  had  made  me  promise  to  take  care 
of  him.  Everybody  said  she  was  such  a  fine 
girl.  All  of  our  family  thought  a  great  deal 
of  her.  She  had  real  black  hair,  and  eyes 
that  most  people  said  were  hazel,  but  some- 
how I  always  thought  they  seemed  blue. 
And,  by  the  way,  there  was  something 


38  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

unusual  in  her  manner,  which  had  a  queer 
effect  upon  me,  if  no  one  else.  As  a  general 
thing,  I  flattered  myself  that  I  was  possessed 
of  some  dignity  for  my  years,  but  her  very 
presence  made  me  feel  young.  Maybe  it 
was  because  lots  of  her  male  friends  were 
older  than  I,  —  most  of  them  grown  men, — 
or  possibly  because  she  had  graduated,  while 
I  was  still  plodding  away  at  school-books. 
But  I  had  known  her  practically  all  my  life. 
Many  was  the  summer  I  had  played  tennis 
every  afternoon  on  the  Suldens'  court.  So 
why  should  I  ever  have  been  ill  at  ease  for 
one  moment  in  her  presence  ?  Yet  I  was. 
The  analysis  of  this  question  I  had  long 
since  given  over,  and  only  put  it  all  down 
to  my  own  foolishness. 

Harry  came  on  away  to  school  with  me, 
and,  being  a  strong,  athletic  young  fellow, 
went  right  into  football.  Mrs.  Sulden  im- 
mediately wrote  to  both  of  us,  objecting  very 
strongly  to  his  playing.  I  just  wrote  right 
back,  and  told  her  that  if  she  wanted  him  to 
make  a  man  of  himself  he  had  better  begin, 
for  he  could  never  learn  younger.  Then  I 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  39 

explained  to  her  that  we  did  not  play  foot- 
ball for  the  sole  and  only  purpose  of  break- 
ing each  other's  necks,  or  maiming  one 
another  for  life.  Some  men  got  hurt,  more 
or  less,  I  admitted,  but  I  also  pointed  out 
that  many  people  were  killed  every  day 
walking  along  the  street.  A  few  players  did 
get  badly  hurt,  but  almost  invariably  they 
were  not  in  proper  condition  to  start  with. 
Harry  was  in  the  best  condition,  thanks  to 
careful  training.  Oh,  I  gave  her  all  the  old 
stock  arguments,  and  I  believe  she  saw 
things  in  a  better  light  after  that.  She  must 
have  been  convinced  against  her  will,  though, 
for  she  never  wrote  Harry  a  letter  which  did 
not  contain  something  about  "  that  terrible 
football."  However,  she  felt  considerably 
relieved  when  I  wrote  and  told  her  that 
Harry  was  only  a  sub,  and  very  probably 
would  not  take  part  in  any  of  the  big  games. 
Yet,  again,  she  was  very  much  horrified  when 
she  realised  that  subs  were  to  take  the  places 
of  men  who  might  get  hurt.  Poor  lady,  I 
am  afraid  she  suffered  a  great  deal  of  un- 
necessary anxiety  on  account  of  that  son 


4O  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

of  hers,  and  all  the  time  I  felt  in  my  inmost 
heart  that  he  did  not  deserve  the  half  of  it. 

I  was  late  going  up  to  French,  next  day, 
after  second  recess,  when  Sulden  stopped 
me  in  the  corridor. 

"Say,"  he  said,  catching  me  by  the  arm,. 
"  I've  got  something  to  show  you." 

"Well,  hurry  up,"  I  replied,  "for  Mr. 
Mathews  will  be  jumping  on  me  if  I  am 
much  later."  Mr.  Mathews,  besides  being 
gymnasium  instructor  and  football  coach, 
was  a  language  teacher. 

Sulden  quickly  pulled  out  a  letter. 

"  I  have  just  gotten  this  from  the  old  lady," 
he  said,  "  and,  what  do  you  think  ?  she  and 
Evelyn  are  coming  up  to  see  me.  They  get 
here  Friday,  or  maybe  sooner,  so  she  says, 
and  are  going  to  stay  over  until  after  Thanks- 
giving. At  least,  the  old  lady  will,  but 
Evelyn,  it  seems,  goes  on  to  Charleston, 
about  the  middle  of  next  week,  to  visit  Aunt 
Sallie.  But,  say,  I  must  certainly  get  into 
either  Saturday's  game  or  the  Thanksgiving 
Day  match,  or  both  of  them.  I  must,"  he 
continued,  excitedly,  as  I  did  not  reply  and 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  41 

started  on  to  my  class  room.  "  Well,  I'll  see 
you  when  school's  out,"  he  called  after  me. 

I  was  too  busy  with  my  own  thoughts 
to  reply. 

"  Why  in  the  world,"  I  asked  myself, 
."would  Evelyn  come  all  the  way  up  here 
for  such  a  short  visit,  and  then  go  on  to 
Charleston  ?  Pauloff's  was  at  Charleston, 
and  Jack  Harding,  who  also  lived  down 
home,  was  at  Pauloff's.  Jack  was  a  very 
nice  sort  of  a  fellow,  but — well,  I  never 
liked  him  much.  He  was  ahvays  too  care- 
fully dressed,  and  seemed  too  dead  sure  of 
himself.  "  Why  did  Evelyn  prefer  Charles- 
ton ? "  Just  here  I  turned  into  Mr.  Math- 
ew's  room,  with  my  eyes  fixed,  as  I  supposed, 
very  studiously  upon  my  French  reader. 
"  What  was  the  matter  with  Belle  Monte  ? 
Why  did  she  —  " 

At  that  moment  I  was  recalled  to  my 
present  surroundings. 

"  Well,  Wilkins,"  said  a  stern  voice,  "  you 
are  very  late  to  be  walking  in  here  in  such 
a  trance."  I  quickly  looked  up,  and  dis- 
covered Mr.  Mathews's  eye  fixed  severely 


42  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

upon  me  on  one  side,  and  the  whole  class 
grinning  at  me  on  the  other. 

"  Why  so  late  ?  I  have  been  around  once 
already.  Are  you  trying  to  make  your 
translations  upside  down  ?  I'll  be  satisfied 
if  you  have  them  correct,  right  side  up." 

There  was  a  shout  from  the  boys,  and, 
glancing  down,  I  found  that  I  was  holding 
my  book  the  wrong  way.  With  no  accept- 
able excuse  to  offer,  I  did  not  venture  to 
make  any,  but  sank  into  my  place  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

"  Thinking  about  her  ?  "  suggested  Moore, 
in  a  loud  aside,  as  I  passed  him,  and  the  class 
roared  again. 

"  Working  out  football  tricks  ?  "  said  Rich- 
ards, who  was  some  distance  away,  in  a 
stage  whisper,  and  there  was  a  suppressed 
ripple. 

"  Now,  boys,  let's  get  to  work,"  said  Mr. 
Mathews,  smiling  indulgently,  "  and  as  you 
have  been  late,  Wilkins,  begin  and  translate 
that  whole  third  section." 

There  was  regular  practice  that  afternoon 
against  the  second  team.  Captain  Allen 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  43 

put  Sulden  in  at  quarter,  to  his  undisguised 
delight.  Russell  did  not  seem  to  mind  so 
very  much  being  assigned  to  the  "  scrub." 
Yet  there  was  a  subdued  air  about  him 
which  made  all  his  old  comrades  feel  very 
badly  when  they  looked  over  the  line  and 
saw  him  facing  them. 

"  Now,  see  here,"  said  Mr.  Mathews,  "  I 
want  you  '  scrubs  '  to  break  through  this  first 
team's  line  and  smash  up  the  interference. 
Use  your  hands  to  come  through.  Don't 
stop  for  anything;  knock  'em  down  and  run 
over  'em.  If  they  want  to  gain  ground, 
make  them  work  hard,  and  if  you  have  the 
ball,  hold  up  that  line.  Whatever  you 
do,  don't  let  those  guards  and  tackles 
through." 

"  Yes,"  said  Allen,  "  give  'em  the  knee 
and  the  shoulder;  stop  them  any  way  you 
can.  Go  for  us  all  the  time.  Tear  us  to 
pieces." 

The  second-team  youngsters  grinned 
consciously  as  they  listened  to  these  very 
desperate  instructions.  I  do  not  see,  though, 
why  they  should  have,  for  they  got  identi- 


44  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

cally  the  same  instructions  every  practice 
afternoon.  Still  it  always  appealed  to  their 
sense  of  humour  when  told  to  do  all  these 
terrible  things  to  the  first  team. 

That  was  a  good,  strong  "  scrub  "  eleven, 
and  it  never  failed  to  give  us  a  hard  fight. 
There  were  some  heavy  men,  and  fast  ones, 
too,  upon  it.  Generally  Mr.  Mathews  him- 
self would  be  one  of  them,  with  his  athletic 
person  enveloped  in  his  old  college  football 
armour.  He  had  a  lame  ankle  just  now, 
however,  which  he  received  a  short  time 
before  on  the  floor  of  the  "  gym." 

The  way  that  second  team  would  buck 
our  line  and  try  our  ends  was  something 
terrific.  Often  they  made  us  work  as  hard 
as  if  we  were  in  a  match  game.  Every  one 
watching  practice,  which  was  usually  about 
half  the  school,  always  encouraged  the 
"scrubs."  Sometimes  it  became  wildly 
exciting,  when  they  managed  to  get  the 
ball  down  anywhere  in  our  territory.  If  the 
umpire  decided  against  them,  the  boys  had 
been  known  to  run  out  in  the  field  and 
threaten  to  "  duck "  him.  If  ever  by  any 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  45 

chance  they  scored  on  us,  what  an  unmer- 
ciful guying  would  be  our  lot ! 

This  strong  second  eleven  was  undoubt- 
edly one  of  the  main  reasons  of  our  fine 
record.  It  gave  us  great  practice  all  the 
time.  Each  one  of  the  boys  on  it  was  doing 
his  best  to  "  make  "  the  first  team  and  beat 
us  out  of  our  positions. 

That  afternoon  practice  was  even  warmer 
than  usual.  We  went  against  the  "  scrub  " 
line  and  around  its  ends  with  lots  of  strength 
and  speed.  They  paid  us  back  in  our  own 
coin,  too,  when  they  had  the  ball.  Practice 
was  about  half  over  when  some  kind  of  a 
hitch  behind  our  line  became  evident.  The 
ball  was  downed  two  or  three  times  before  it 

• 

had  gotten  well  started.  On  our  next  try  I 
saw  the  trouble.  Russell  came  right  over 
our  line,  by  jumping  from  the  back  of  the 
other  centre,  and  "  nailed  "  Sulden  before  he 
could  deliver  the  ball  to  the  runner.  This 
was  pointed  out  to  Zell,  and  he  placed  him- 
self so  as  to  protect  his  quarter.  Still,  Russell 
played  a  desperate  game  all  around.  He 
dived  through  the  interference  and  picked 


46  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

out  the  runner.  On  plays  into  the  line  he 
got  right  down  under  everybody  and  stopped 
them.  As  I  said,  he  was  one  of  the  finest 
tacklers  I  ever  saw  and  seemed  at  his  very 
best  that  afternoon.  If  Sulden  had  shown 
up  strong  where  Russell  was  weak,  he  also 
began  to  display  a  tendency  to  weakness 
where  Russell  was  strong.  He  did  not 
seem  to  possess  any  particular  fancy  for 
getting  underneath  heavy  mass  plays. 
He  preferred  to  -"lay"  back  and  take 
the  runner  after  he  got  through.  That 
style  will  not  do,  as  any  football  player 
knows. 

Once  they  came  toward  my  end,  and 
suddenly  "  cut  in "  before  reaching  me. 
Harkis  and  Moore  broke  the  interference 
all  to  pieces,  and  Sulden  was  close  behind. 
For  a  moment  he  had  a  clear  space  in  which 
to  nab  the  runner  and  let  him  down  without 
gain.  It  required  a  long  diving  tackle,  and 
though  one  which  might  jar  a  fellow  a  little, 
it  was  by  no  means  impossible.  Sulden 
faltered  in  his  course  and  then  turned  to 
the  side.  Instantly  the  opportunity  was  lost, 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  47 

and  the  runner  gained  ten  yards  before  I 
could  get  him. 

"  Sulden,  Sulden,  what  was  the  matter 
there  ? "  asked  Mr.  Mathews,  running  up. 

"  Matter  with  me?"  he  answered,  angrily, 
"nothing  at  all!  I  thought  Moore  would 
take  the  man." 

"  Moore  was  under  the  interference  when 
the  runner  reached  the  line.  How  could  he 
have  taken  him  ?  " 

"  Well,  there  was  Harkis,"  Sulden  replied, 
sullenly.  Harkis  took  off  his  nose-mask 
and  was  about  to  speak,  when  Mr.  Mathews 
said :  "  Harkis  went  in  first.  There  was  but 
little  chance  for  him  to  get  the  man.  It  was 
your  tackle.  You  shouldn't  have  shirked  it, 
and  don't  do  it  again." 

I  looked  at  Sulden.  He  was  chewing 
viciously  against  the  rubber  guard  between 
his  teeth.  There  was  anger  in  his  eyes. 
He  withdrew  the  guard  from  his  mouth,  as 
if  to  reply. 

"  Shut  up,  Sulden,"  I  shouted.  I  do  hate 
to  hear  a  man  answer  a  coach  back  on  the 
field. 


48  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

We  had  about  five  more  minutes  of  prac- 
tice, when  I  noticed  Mr.  Mathews  whisper 
something  to  Allen.  On  the  next  line  up, 
our  captain  said :  "  Russell,  come  over  here 
and  try  quarter  for  awhile.  Sulden,  take  his 
place." 

The  change  was  made  in  silence,  but  the 
stormy  look  that  clouded  Sulden's  face  I 
well  knew  meant  something  he  would  have 
been  afraid  to  utter  there.  Allen  tried 
nothing  but  new  tricks  during  the  rest  of 
the  practice.  Though  Russell  was  rather 
slow  in  getting  them  started,  still  he  sur- 
prised us  all  by  doing  a  great  deal  better 
than  usual. 

Thursday's  practice  was  the  last  before 
the  game.  This  did  not  count  another 
secret  rehearsal  of  signals  on  Friday.  By 
Wednesday  afternoon  every  one  in  school 
knew  of  the  contest  that  had  sprung  up 
between  Russell  and  Sulden.  It  immediately 
became  an  all-pervading  topic,  and  conse- 
quently the  subject  of  much  bitter  argument. 
They  talked  of  it  so  much  that  the  whole 
affair  was  highly  exaggerated,  and  a  great 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK,  49 

many  of  the  boys  were  really  brought  to 
believe  that  Russell  had  been  beaten  out 
of  his  place  by  Sulden.  Nearly  all  the 
younger  boys  and  subs  seemed  to  be 
glad  of  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the  team's 
regular  members  were  much  distressed,  and 
most  of  the  older  boys  felt  the  same  way. 
Several  members  of  the  Club  of  the  Allies, 
which,  I  believe,  usually  represented  the  con- 
servative element  in  -Belle  Monte,  if  there 
was  such  a  thing,  went  so  far  as  to  send  a 
petition  to  Allen  in  Russell's  behalf.  It 
was  said  that  this  petition  even  hinted  at  a 
threat  as  to  what  the  Allies  would  do  in  the 
next  election  of  athletic  association  officers, 
if  they  did  not  have  their  wish  granted. 
This  was  an  outrage,  and  the  Allies  for  once 
in  their  career  found  that  they  could  not 
dictate.  Allen  was  an  Ally  himself.  In 
fact,  most  of  us  members  of  the  team  were, 
besides  many  of  the  older  boys.  Still,  the 
club  to  which  a  fellow  belonged  did  not 
make  any  difference  with  our  captain  in 
selecting  his  team. 

So    by    Thursday   afternoon    the    whole 


50  THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

school  was  considerably  wrought  up  over 
who  would  be  chosen  to  play  quarter  in  the 
approaching  game.  Nearly  everybody  came 
out  to  see  us  practise.  Sulden,  whose  locker 
was  next  to  mine,  appeared  to  be  a  good  deal 
excited  while  putting  on  his  clothes.  I'll 
admit  I  felt  sorry  for  the  boy,  but  still  I  did 
not  want  to  see  him  beat  Russell  out,  right 
here  on  the  eve  of  the  greatest  game  we 
would  play  in  two  years.  Privately,  I  did 
not  think  he  was  nearly  so  good  a  quarter 
as  Russell,  but  of  course  I  had  nothing  to 
say  to  any  one  on  the  subject.  It  was  our 
captain's  duty  to  settle  such  questions  in  the 
way  he  should  think  best.  Still  I  could  not 
help  feeling  a  little  sorry  for  Sulden,  though 
there  was  nothing  in  the  boy  for  which  I 
had  an  especial  liking.  There  seemed  so 
much  against  him  in  the  struggle,  and  in  my 
opinion  he  had  so  little  chance.  He  was  the 
under  dog  and  as  such  claimed  my  sym- 
pathy. I  have  always  been  foolish  on  that 
score,  and  to  save  my  life  could  never  help 
feeling  sorry  for  the  fellow  who  is  about  to 
get  or  had  gotten  the  worst  of  it.  Though 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  51 

certainly  loyal  to  Russell,  still  I  felt  sorry  for 
Sulden.  Then  there  was  Mrs.  Sulden,  —  she 
was  such  a  nice  lady,  and  would  feel  so  dis- 
tressed about  Harry's  disappointment,  even 
though  it  be  over  such  a  terrible  thing  as 
football.  Evelyn,  too,  I  knew  it  would  dis- 
appoint her.  In  fact,  upon  looking  at  it  in 
this  light,  I  could  not  decide  whether  it  was 
Russell's  or  Sulden's  name  I  wanted  to  see 
posted  for  quarterback  in  the  great  game 
with  Ashville,  Saturday. 

To  divert  the  boy's  mind  I  spoke  to  him. 

"  Harry,"  said  I,  buckling  my  belt,  "  when 
does  your  mother  and  Evelyn  get  here  ?  " 

"  They  are  here  now,"  he  answered,  sud- 
denly, "and  I'll  catch  it  hot  for  not  coming 
to  see  them  right  away." 

"  I  suppose  you  will  go  after  practice  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will,  that  is,  unless  they  come  out 
here  to  school  before  I  can  get  there.  It 
would  be  just  my  luck  for  them  to  come 
right  now  and  make  me  miss  part  of  this. 
So  much  depends  on  it,  too."  I  thought  it 
was  best  not  to  rebuke  him  then  for  speak- 
ing that  way  about  his  mother  and  sister. 


52  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

"  If  you  have  no  objection,"  I  said,  "  I 
would  like  to  go  see  them  with  you,  that 
is,  if  old  'Ruff  will  give  me  a  leave.  I 
want  to  hear  how  they  all  are,  down 
home." 

"  Of  course,  go  with  me,"  answered  Sulden, 
"  I  would  rather  have  you  than  not  The 
old  lady  is  going  to  jump  all  over  me  for 
playing  football." 

At  that  moment  Allen  called  us  out,  and 
we  went  on  down  to  the  field.  The  whole 
school  was  there,  and,  to  all  appearances, 
much  excited. 

"  Rah,  rah,  rah,  Belle  Monte  ;  rah,  rah,  rah, 
Sulden ! "  shouted  the  younger  boys,  as  we 
trotted  out  on  the  field  and  began  to  kick 
the  ball  around. 

Standing  out  some  distance  from  the  side 
line  were  those  extremists  among  the  Allies 
who  I  suspected  had  sent  Allen  that  pe- 
tition. 

"  Now,  cap,  you  must  do  your  duty,"  said 
one,  in  a  sharp  tone,  as  Allen  ran  in  their 
direction  to  catch  a  long  punt. 

"  Yes,"    said    another,    "  do    the    correct 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  53 

thing.  Don't  make  a  bad  mistake  right 
here  on  the  eve  of  a  big  game." 

Allen  bounded  high  in  the  air  and  snapped 
the  ball  under  his  arm  with  an  angry  jerk. 
Then,  regaining  his  balance,  he  took  a 
couple  of  steps  forward,  dropped  the  oval 
only  to  catch  it  on  the  instep  of  his  strong 
right  foot  and  send  it  whirling  and  spinning 
far  down  the  field.  At  this,  he  turned  sud- 
denly and  walked  right  into  the  middle  of 
the  group.  I  knew  what  that  determined 
look  on  his  face  meant. 

"  Get  off  of  this  field,"  he  said ;  "  get  back, 
get  back  behind  those  ropes,"  he  continued, 
spreading  out  his  arms  as  if  to  push  them. 

There  was  an  ominous  pause,  and  I  has- 
tened forward,  fearing  there  might  be  trou- 
ble. Most  of  the  boys  were  Allen's  friends, 
but  they  had  so  far  forgotten  themselves  as 
to  try  to  influence  him. 

"  I  will  give  you  to  understand,"  he  added, 
"  that  I  am  at  the  head  of  this  team,  and  I 
will  not  take  any  suggestions  I  don't  ask  for 
and  don't  want.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourselves,  you  Allies.  The  whole  school 


54  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

ought  to  be  ashamed  of  itself  for  the  way  it's 
acting." 

The  brief  silence  that  followed  was  finally 
broken  by  Humphries,  who  was  quite  a  pol- 
itician in  school,  but  who,  I  think,  had  been 
rather  abashed  by  Allen's  manly  speech. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  half  laughingly,  "  if  Cap- 
tain Allen  tells  us  to  get  off  the  field  and 
shut  up,  we  had  better  do  the  "one,  though  I 
do  not  see  that  we  are  called  upon  to  do  the 
other." 

Without  further  words  they  all  moved 
back  behind  the  ropes,  and  practice  began. 
I  heard  Humphries  remarking  later  that  it 
was  a  pity  to  divide  the  school  on  such  a 
question,  but  that  he  intended  to  stick  by  his 
friend  Russell,  no  matter  what  happened. 

There  was  a  great  yell  from  the  members 
of  the  First  Year  Club,  and  younger  boys, 
generally,  when  at  the  start  Sulden  was  put 
in  at  quarter.  The  Allies  were  threatening 
and  silent. 

Soon,  though,  the  change  came.  We  had 
hardly  done  ten  minutes'  work  before  Allen 
and  Mr.  Mathews  held  a  whispering  confer- 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  55 

ence.  Any  one  could  see  what  ailed  Sulden's 
playing,  though  I  did  my  best  to  keep  his 
remissness  from  showing  up.  It  was  the 
same  old  trouble.  He  ran  the  team  well 
enough,  but  did  little  or  no  tackling  when 
the  "scrubs  "  had  the  ball.  A  quarterback's 
duty,  as  taught  at  Belle  Monte,  was  that  he 
should  do  a  great  deal  of  tackling  before  the 
plays  were  well  started.  Sulden,  however, 
did  not,  but  was  "  laying "  back  too  much, 
waiting  until  the  runner  had  been  cleared  of 
his  interferers. 

Allen  told  us  to  wait  a  minute. 

"Sulden,"  he  said,  "suppose  you  try  .quar- 
ter over  on  the  other  side.  Russell,  come 
around  her  for  awhile."  A  cheer  from  the 
older  boys  greeted  this.  Russell  walked 
quickly  around  to  our  side  of  the  line.  Sul- 
den rose  up  from  his  crouching  position, 
but  further  than  that  he  did  not  move. 
There  was  a  pause. 

"  Get  back  to  where  you  belong,  kid,"  was 
the  brutal  comment  of  some  one  on  the  side 
line.  Sulden  still  hesitated.  I  am  sure 
Allen  would  never  have  tolerated  this  un- 


56  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

necessary  delay  but  for  his  true  kindness  of 
heart.  Sulden  looked  helplessly  at  me  and 
back  at  Allen  again.  Then,  in  a  burst  of 
passion,  he  pulled  his  nose-mask  off  and 
flunor  it  on  the  ground. 

o  o 

This  brought  forth  a  loud  laugh  from  the 
side  line,  followed  by  a  long-drawn,  derisive 
"  A-a-ah !  "  It  was  an  unusual  sight  for  a 
practice  field. 

Allen  approached  Sulden. 

"  Come  now,  Harry,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  as 
gentle  as  he  might  have  used  in  speaking  to 
a  woman,  "  we  have  to  give  every  one  a  fair 
show  at  Belle  Monte." 

I  thought  I  saw  a  tear  in  the  corner  of 
Sulden's  eye,  and  was  about  -to  speak  up  my- 
self when  he  broke  out,  excitedly :  "  You 
dirty  dogs,  you  have  put  up  this- — "  here 
his  voice  became  so  choked  he  could  say  no 
more. 

"  Sulden,  oh,  Sulden,"  called  a  boy,  running 
down  the  field  toward  us;  "is  Sulden  down 
there?" 

"  We  did  see  him  around  here  awhile 
ago,"  I  distinguished  Humphries's  voice  in  a 


"'YOU    DIRTY    DOGS!'" 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  59 

sarcastic  tone,  but  no  one  paid  any  attention 
to  it. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Mathews,  who  had 
been  keeping  himself  in  the  background, 
"  what  do  you  want  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  tell  him,  sir,"  said  the  boy, 
running  up,  "that  there  are  some  people  at 
4  Cap'n's '  who  have  come  to  see  him." 

This  was  an  unlooked-for  solution  of  the 
trouble.  Sulden  picked  up  his  guard  and 
without  another  word  started  on  away. 

"  I'll  excuse  you  from  further  practice," 
said  Allen,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  Sulden 
did  not  so  much  as  reply  with  a  glance,  and 
continued  on  his  way  off  the  field,  sur- 
rounded by  twenty  or  thirty  of  his  sympa- 
thisers. 

Of  course  the  question  as  to  who 
should  play  quarter  against  Ashville  had 
been  settled.  Everybody  was  as  certain  of 
that  as  if  they  had  already  seen  it  in  the 
posted  list,  over  Allen's  signature,  on  the 
library  door  next  day. 

And  now  that  the  subject  which  so  much 
excited  every  one  for  two  days  past  had  been 


60  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

disposed  of,  it  was  as  completely  and  quickly 
dropped  as  it  had  been  taken  up.  Every 
boy  was  as  much  for  Belle  Monte  now  as 
every  other,  no  matter  who  played  quarter- 
back. The  First  Year  Club  was  ready  to 
cheer  Russell  as  wildly  as  his  closest  friends 
among  the  Allies,  if  his  achievements  were 
for  the  glory  of  Belle  Monte. 

Prominent  among  the  individualities  of 
Belle  Monte  there  existed  what  might  be 
termed  school  politics.  This  feature  entered 
into  nearly  everything.  On  any  occasion 
where  a  difference  of  opinion  arose,  the 
school  was  sure  to  divide  into  parties,  just 
as  it  had  done  in  the  case  of  Sulden.  The 
election  of  the  athletic  association  officers 
always  made  an  exciting  contest  each  year. 
Then  the  literary  society  officers  were  chosen 
twice  a  year,  and  that  made  two  more  big 
fights.  There  were  several  other  elections 
distributed  at  intervals  through  the  session, 
so  politics  always  kept  hot  at  Belle  Monte. 
The  two  clubs  whose  names  have  been  men- 
tioned were,  primarily,  opposing  political  or- 
ganisations, each  always  striving  to  place  its 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  6 1 

friends  into  the  positions  of  honour.  The 
Club  of  Allies  was  made  up  generally  of 
older  boys.  Any  one  could  not  be  a  mem- 
ber unless  he  had  been  in  school  at  least  a 
second  session.  It  should  not  be  supposed 
that  the  First  Year  Club  was  composed  of 
only  youngsters.  When  organised,  some 
years  before,  in  opposition  to  the  Allies,  it 
had  been  named  the  First  Year  Club  ex- 
pressly to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
boys  in  school  the  first  year  could  join. 
It  was  a  powerful  organisation,  and  its 
prestige,  when  election  times  came,  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  equalled  that  of  the  Allies. 

I  was  anxious  to  see  the  Suldens,  and  so 
after  practice  looked  around  for  Harry,  but 
could  not  find  him.  From  this  I  supposed 
he  had  already  gone.  Then  I  went  to  old 
'Ruff  and  asked  him  for  permission  to  get 
off  until  supper  time.  He  grumbled  a 
good  deal  about  it,  but  finally  allowed  me 
leave. 

Mrs.  Sulden  and  Evelyn  seemed  glad  to 
see  me,  and  the  sight  of  their  familiar  faces 
was  certainly  a  pleasure,  for  it  reminded  me 


62  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

of  home.  Of  course  they  had  messages  for 
me  and  a  package  from  mother.  This  Mrs. 
Sulden  left  the  room  to  get. 

I  could  easily  see  that  Evelyn's  manner 
toward  me  had  not  changed  a  bit,  though  I 
had  not  seen  her  for  quite  awhile.  You 
must  not  think  that  she  treated  me  with 
decided  indifference  or  anything  of  that 
kind.  Indeed,  I  cannot  say  exactly  what  it 
was,  but  if  you  had  been  in  my  place  you 
would  have  felt  it.  Generally  it  looked  more 
like  an  absence  of  something  in  her  manner 
than  any  direct  quality.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  whole  business  might  have  been  nothing 
more  than  a  fabric  of  my  imagination.  Still, 
I  know  I  would  have  fared  better  had  there 
been  five  years'  instead  of  sixteen  days'  dif- 
ference in  our  ages. 

"  I  thought  Harry  would  be  here,"  I  re- 
marked, after  Mrs.  Sulden  had  left  the  room. 

"  No,  no,"  Evelyn  answered,  "  didn't  he 
tell  you  that  he  could  not  get  off  until  to- 
morrow ?  He  walked  down  from  school  with 
us,  but  had  to  go  right  back  again.  He 
wanted  to  get  off  to-night,  but  Mr.  Landruff, 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  63 

he  said,  wouldn't  give  him  leave  until  to- 
morrow afternoon.  I  think  it's  rather  hard, 
don't  you  ? "  There  was  a  serious  look  in 
her  eyes. 

Instantly  I  fell  to  denouncing  old  'Ruff 
as  the  worst  tyrant  that  had  ever  lived  since 
the  Middle  Ages.  Then  I  recollected  that 
I  could  not  find  Harry  before  coming  down- 
town. I  also  remembered  what  had  hap- 
pened at  practice  earlier  in  the  afternoon, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  boy  did 
not  want  to  get  off  very  badly,  but  was 
sulking  up  at  school  somewhere  by  himself. 
Though  I  never  had  much  use  for  any 
sulker,  still  Harry  could  hardly  be  blamed 
in  this  instance,  because  the  disappointment 
was  so  great.  However,  he  certainly  did 
wrong  to  neglect  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
his  mother  and  sister.  These  thoughts  I 
kept  to  myself,  but  I  determined  to  have  a 
little  talk  with  him  after  returning  to  school. 

"  Ethel  tells  me  that  there  is  to  be  a  big 
football  game  Saturday,"  said  Evelyn. 

"  Yes,  we  are  to  play  Ashville  for  the 
first  time  in  two  years.  You  know  I  told 


64  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

you  about  the  old  feud.  Well,  it  has  all 
been  made  up  now.  This  will  be  the  greatest 
game  around  here  in  many  a  long  day." 

"  Great  game  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Sulden, 
as  she  reentered  the  room,  "  are  not  you 
all  through  with  that  terrible  football  yet? 
Will  Harry  take  part  ?  When  do  you  play  ?  " 
she  questioned,  anxiously. 

"  We  play  Saturday,  though  I  don't  know 
about  Harry.  I  expect  he  will  'sub.'" 

"Sub  —  substitute  —  you  mean  that  he 
takes  the  place  of  any  one  who  might  get 
hurt.  Gracious  heavens,  John ! " 

"  There  will  not  be  much  chance  of  his 
getting  into  the  game,"  I  reassured  her. 

"Well,  I  do  hope  not!"  both  she  and 
Evelyn  exclaimed,  in  one  breath. 

I  took  my  leave  very  shortly  afterward, 
because  if  there  is  one  thing  I  do  try  to 
avoid  it  is  an  argument  with  a  timid  lady  on 
the  subject  of  football. 

After  getting  back  to  school,  I  looked 
around  for  Sulden,  but  I  could  not  find  him 
anywhere.  None  of  the  boys  I  asked  had 
seen  him  since  early  in  the  afternoon.  Then 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  65 

I  felt  certain  he  was  hiding.  It  surprised 
me  a  good  deal  when  at  supper  time  he  did 
not  appear  at  his  place.  I  had  known  many 
boys  to  sulk,  but  this  was  the  first  case, 
to  my  knowledge,  where  the  appetite  was 
affected.  I  looked  for  him  further  after 
supper,  but  to  no  avail.  As  a  last  resort  I 
went  to  old  'Ruff  for  information.  After 
knocking  on  his  door,  it  occurred  to  me  that 
Harry  might  have  sneaked  off  somewhere 
on  a  private  expedition,  so  I  determined  to 
be  very  guarded. 

"  Well,"  growled  the  old  watch-dog, 
"  what  can  I  do  for  you  now,  Wilkins  ?  I 
hope  it's  not  that  trigonometry  again." 

"  No,  Mr.  Landruff,  it  is  not  the  trigo- 
nometry this  time,"  I  answered.  "  I  wanted 
to  know  if  you  had  seen  Harry  Sulden 
around  here  since  supper."  As  'Ruff's 
room  was  just  across  from  Sulden's,  the 
question  was  plausible  enough. 

"  Hardly,"  he  replied,  turning  back  to  his 
book  again.  "  Some  of  Sulden's  relatives 
are  visiting  him,  and  he  has  been  off  all  the 
afternoon.  Nor  will  he  be  in  study  hall 


66  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

to-night,  either,  on  account  of  which  he  will 
no  doubt  miss  all  his  lessons  to-morrow." 

It  was  lucky  the  old  fellow  did  not  see 
me,  for  his  suspicions  would  certainly  have 
been  aroused  by  the  expression  of  surprise 
that  must  have  come  into  my  face. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  deliberately,  after 
getting  the  upper  hand  of  my  astonishment. 

As  I  did  not  start  to  go,  he  looked  up 
again :  "  Well,  can  I  do  anything  more  for 
you  ? "  he  asked,  with  a  touch  of  sharpness 
to  his  tone.  That  was  a  way  he  had,  con- 
found him,  of  telling  a  fellow  to  get  out  of 
his  room.  He  possessed  no  more  considera- 
tion for  the  older  boys  than  he  did  for  the 
youngsters  who  worried  him  all  the  time. 
You  see,  he  was  a  junior  teacher,  besides 
being  proctor  to  the  school. 

I  felt  more  like  taking  a  punch  at  his  face 
than  giving  him  a  civil  answer,  but  as  I  had 
another  request  to  make  it  was  wiser  to 
control  my  feelings. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  said,  after  a  pause,  for  I 
determined  to  be  dignified  at  whatever 
cost. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  67 

"  Well,  out  with  it,  for  I  am  in  a  hurry," 
he  snapped. 

"  While  over  at  the  room  just  now,  Harkis 
called  my  attention  to  where  I  had  ripped 
the  padding  almost  entirely  off  the  shoulder 
of  my  football  jersey.  I  wish  you  would  let 
me  take  it  down  to  Simpson's  so  he  could 
fix  it  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Can't  think  of  letting  you  off  now ;  study 
hour  will  be  called  in  ten  minutes." 

"  I'll  go,  anyway,  and  if  you  don't  like  it 
you  needn't,"  was  the  response  I  felt  like 
making,  but  instead  I  replied,  earnestly: 
"  I  would  like  very  much  to  have  it  fixed, 
sir." 

Old  'Ruff  had  one  weakness,  and  that  was 
his  love  for  football.  On  this  account  he 
always  was  the  slightest  bit  more  lenient  to 
the  players  than  to  any  one  else  in  school.  If 
I  had  not  been  on  the  team  he  would  have 
demerited  me  for  so  much  as  asking  to  go 
down-town  after  supper  and  before  study 
hour. 

He  read  in  silence  for  a  full  minute. 

"  Well,  sir  ?  "  I  ventured,  finally. 


68  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  I  cannot  let  you  go  now,  Wilkins,  that's 
out  of  the  question,  but  if  you  promise  me 
to  hurry  right  back,  I  will  allow  you  leave 
after  study  hour." 

"  But  Simpson's  will  be  closed  then,  and 
the  old  man  in  bed,"  I  objected. 

"  Can't  help  that,  you  can  wake  him 
up." 

I  knew  by  the  tone  of  this  last  that  it  was 
all  I  would  get  out  of  him  on  the  subject, 
so,  keeping  the  best  face  possible  and  thank- 
ing him  out  loud  but  calling  down  maledic- 
tions upon  him  inwardly,  I  returned  to  my 
room. 

The  minute  study  hour  was  over,  I  bor- 
rowed Harkis's  wheel  and  set  out  down  to 
Simpson's  with  my  jersey.  The  store  oi 
the  old  harness-maker,  who  mended  football 
clothes  for  the  boys,  was  not  right  down  in 
Battleton.  You  should  understand  that  the 
town  principally  is  made  up  of  two  long 
streets,  which  intersect  each  other  at  right 
angles.  I  suppose  originally  it  was  only  a 
crossroads,  and,  instead  of  laying  off  side 
streets,  the  people  just  built  their  houses  on 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  69 

the  two  pikes.  Old  Simpson's  place  was  out 
past  the  edge  of  the  town  on  the  Winchester 
pike,  while  Belle  Monte  lay  near  the  Milton 
road.  So  it  made  quite  a  ride  to  my  desti- 
nation, along  two  sides  of  a  square. 

The  night  was  clear  and  cool,  nice  as  a 
fellow  would  wish  to  take  a  spin,  but  being 
without  any  moonlight  made  it  rather  dark 
for  fast  riding,  on  account  of  loose  stones  in 
the  road.  Still  I  went  along  at  a  pretty 
lively  clip,  for  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  back 
and  to  bed  as  soon  as  possible.  I  coasted 
down  the  long  hill  into  the  town.  Every- 
thing was  quiet  and  dark,  for  the  people  of 
Battleton  retire  early.  Then,  after  turning 
the  corner,  and  running  along  the  level  for 
some  distance,  I  began  pulling  the  succes- 
sion of  easy  slopes  toward  the  outskirts  of 
the  town. 

I  had  passed  the  last  street  lamp,  and  was 
half-way  up  the  steepest  bit  of  grade,  when 
suddenly,  just  ahead  of  me,  there  appeared 
the  figure  of  another  wheelman.  If  I  had 
not  caught  sight  of  his  outline  against  the 
sky  that  moment,  a  bad  collision  would  no 


70  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

doubt  have  followed,  as  he  evidently  did  not 
see  me.  At  first  I  thought  he  was  coasting, 
but  then,  as  he  drew  near  me  so  rapidly,  I 
could  distinguish  him  treading  the  pedals 
furiously.  I  jangled  my  bell  in  warning  and 
turned  off  to  the  far  right  side  of  the  road. 
He  seemed  in  such  a  hurry  I  thought  it  best 
to  give  him  a  wide  berth.  There  was  no 
answering  ring  from  him,  but  he  shot  by  me 
like  a  black  shadow,  and  sped  at  a  terrific 
rate  on  down  the  slope. 

"Oho,  old  fellow,"  I  said  to  myself,  "if 
you  hit  a  loose  stone  down  there,  you  will 
break  yourself  to  pieces  against  the  wall  and 
make  old  iron  out  of  your  wheel."  As  he 
whirled  past  I  looked  at  him  closely,  but,  in 
the  darkness,  he  seemed  all  muffled  up.  I 
did  think  for  an  instant  that  I  recognised 
something  familiar  in  the  way  he  tilted  him- 
self forward  on  his  bars,  but,  as  I  said,  he 
went  by  me  like  the  wind,  and  I  could  not 
be  certain  of  anything  about  him.  Of  course 
I  knew  it  was  most  probably  some  fellow 
who  had  sneaked  off  and  ridden  to  Win- 
chester. Now  he  was  taking  chances  on 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    RIDER. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  71 

breaking  his  neck  to  get  back   by  "lights 
out." 

Because  there  appeared  a  faint  trace  of 
something  familiar  about  him,  which,  how- 
ever, I  could  not  recognise,  my  curiosity 
was  aroused,  and  had  it  not  been  so  late 
I  would  have  given  him  a  race.  At  any 
rate,  I  jumped  off  my  wheel  and  turned 
around  to  watch  him  pass  through  the  little 
half-circle  of  light  shed  across  the  road  by 
the  street  lamp  some  distance  away.  Great 
was  my  wonder,  you  may  well  imagine,  when 
I  saw  the  faint  outline  of  the  mysterious 
night  rider  come  to  a  halt  at  the  edge  of  the 
light.  Then,  picking  up  his  wheel  and  keep- 
ing well  out  of  the  glare,  he  skirted  around 
it.  In  doing  so,  he  was  forced  to  climb  a  low 
stone  wall  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road. 
I  could  barely  see  him  reclimb  the  wall  into 
the  road  again.  He  immediately  afterward 
disappeared  in  the  darkness.  This  so 
startled  me  that  I  felt  all  the  more  tempted 
to  give  chase,  but  it  was  very  late,  and  I 
wished  to  have  my  jersey  intact  once  more. 
I  continued  on  my  way  up  the  hill  to  Simp- 


72  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

son's.  After  waking  the  old  man,  with  a 
good  deal  of  difficulty,  I  told  him  what  I 
wanted  and  then  turned  my  face  toward  the 
school. 

Harkis  was  deeply  interested  in  my  expe- 
rience, which  I  related  while  I  was  undress- 
ing for  bed.  He  laughed  at  me,  though,  and 
said  he  thought  I  had  seen  a  ghost. 

"  It  was  one  of  the  boys  coming  back  from 
Winchester,"  he  continued,  a  moment  later, 
in  a  more  serious  tone. 

"  That's  what  I  thought,"  said  I,  "  but  why 
was  he  so  very  shy  of  that  lamplight  ?  Did 
you  ever  do  that  way  when  you  were  sneak- 
ing back  from  Winchester?  I  am  sure  I 
never  did." 

"  He  didn't  want  you  to  see  him." 

"  But  what  objection  could  he  have  strong 
enough  to  make  him  do  that  way  ?  He 
might  have  known  I  wasn't  a  teacher.  Do 
you  suppose  he  avoided  every  light  through 
town  like  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,"  said  Harkis,  "  of  course  he 
didn't.  In  the  first  place  he  didn't  come 
through  town,  If  he  had  any  sense  he  took 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  75 

the  lane,  and  came  up  by  the  back  way,  just 
as  every  fellow  does  when  sneaking  back 
from  Winchester." 

"  But  why  did  he  act  so  queerly  around 
that  lamp?" 

This  was  a  question  which  neither  Harkis 
nor  myself  could  answer  satisfactorily,  though 
we  discussed  it  long  after  we  were  beneath 
the  covers  and  our  room  dark,  until,  finally, 
old  'Ruff  came  around,  and  gave  us  each 
a  demerit  for  talking  after  "  lights  out." 

"  This  time  to-morrow,"  Harkis  said  to 
me,  as  we  entered  the  schoolroom  shortly 
after  breakfast,  "  we  will  be  getting  ready  to 
start  for  Winchester.  Say,"  he  continued, 
"  I  wonder  if  '  Cap'n's'  going  to  let  everybody 
go  ? " 

"  Yes,  everybody  that  wants  to,  and  you 
know  what  that  means." 

Just  then  we  heard  a  great  shout  from 
over  in  the  direction  of  the  gymnasium.  I 
would  have  gone  to  investigate,  but  had 
some  of  that  inevitable  trigonometry  to  get 
up  before  class. 

Harkis   was    more   fortunate,  and    so   he 


76  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

went  out  to  see  what  had  happened.  A 
moment  later  he  came  running  back  into 
the  schoolroom. 

"Allen  has  just  now  posted  the  names 
of  the  team,  and  of  course  he's  got  Russell 
at  quarterback,  with  Sulden  as  sub,"  he  said. 
"  Some  Allies  are  having  a  little  fun  with 
the  First  Years  over  there,  but  they  all 
seem  to  be  very  good-natured  about  it." 

Things  did  not  by  any  means  pass  off  as 
usual  in  school  that  day.  There  was  an  air 
of  suppressed  excitement  about  every  one. 
Old  'Ruff  was  in  his  glory.  He  caught  as 
many  as  twenty  fellows  talking  in  the  corri- 
dors, while  the  combined  efforts  of  the  other 
teachers  were  only  able  to  capture  half  that 
many  more.  Of  course  there  was  a  large 
and  sorrowful  delegation  which  kept  school 
after  the  usual  hour  of  dismissal. 

Just  before  that  time,  all  the  boys  were 
summoned  into  the  main  hall,  where  "  Cap'n  " 
gave  us  a  short  talk.  He  told  us  that  as  we 
had  had  one  disgraceful  difficulty,  he  wanted, 
to  warn  us  not  to  forget  ourselves  in  the 
excitement  of  the  game.  He  said,  further, 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  77 

that  if  the  Ashville  boys  started  any  fights, 
the  Belle  Monte  students  must  not  take 
them  up,  but  try  to  stop  them.  We  all  knew 
well  enough  what  this  admonition  meant, 
and  also  how  much  it  would  be  obeyed  if 
any  trouble  really  did  begin.  He  told  us,  he 
felt  certain  that  we  would  conduct  ourselves 
like  gentlemen,  but  also  added,  meaningly, 
that  if  there  was  any  rowdyism  detected 
among  his  boys  the  offenders  would  be 
severely  dealt  with.  All  this  was  received 
in  dead  silence,  but  when  "  Cap'n  "  concluded 
by  saying  that  he  hoped  to  see  Belle  Monte 
come  out  victor,  we  nearly  took  the  roof  off 
the  house.  Then,  beginning  with  "  Cap'n  " 
himself,  we  cheered  each  one  of  the  teachers 
by  name,  even  down  to  old  'Ruff,  which  lat- 
ter circumstance  showed  an  exceptional  flow 
of  good  spirits  on  our  parts.  That  night,  by 
special  order,  there  was  a  relaxation  of  dis- 
cipline, and  things  were  pretty  lively  around 
school  until  10.30  o'clock,  which  was  the 
"lights  out"  hour  for  Friday  night.  Old 
'Ruff  locked  himself  in  his  room  sorely  dis- 
appointed. The  very  thought  of  boys  not 


78  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

under  strict  restraint  would  almost  run  him 
crazy. 

What  could  have  added  to  our  joy  when, 
arising  on  the  morning  of  that  never-to-be- 
forgotten  day,  we  found  the  weather,  which 
had  been  threatening  the  evening  before,  to 
be  ideal.  The  sky  was  cloudless,  and  the  air 
was  of  that  crisp,  life-giving  kind  only  felt 
upon  late  autumn's  most-favoured  days.  Our 
excitement  and  hurry  were  too  great,  though, 
for  any  rejoicing  at  the  weather.  The  whole 
school  marched  in  one  singing,  shouting 
body  to  the  station,  that  is,  excepting  us 
football  players,  who  rode  in  carriages. 

Every  boy  wore  in  his  buttonhole  or 
around  his  cap  a  generous  half-yard  of  blue 
and  white,  the  Belle  Monte  colours.  From 
many  a  stick  and  pole  there  fluttered  flags 
and  streamers.  A  committee  of  the  Allies 
had  in  charge  the  school  pennant,  which, 
according  to  old  custom,  was  always  borne 
upon  every  field  where  Belle  Monte  strug- 
gled for  honours. 

As  Belle  Monte  was  the  first  to  arrive  in 
Winchester,  our  crowd  fairly  took  possession 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  79 

of  the  town,  while  we  members  of  the  team 
were  hustled  off  to  the  hotel.  I  heard  after- 
ward about  the  many  follies  of  which  our 
boys  were  guilty  when  they  had  escaped 
from  the  watchful  eyes  of  'Ruff, "  Cap'n,"  and 
the  rest.  They  nearly  devilled  the  life  out 
of  those  few  sleepy  police  who  were  supposed 
to  uphold  the  law  in  that  quiet  old  town. 
Ashville  did  not  arrive  until  about  12  o'clock. 
Our  boys  received  them  at  the  station  in 
great  style.  They  made  high  noon  hideous 
with  their  yells  and  answering  yells.  Never 
before  was  there  such  a  powwowing,  discuss- 
ing, and  bragging  in  Winchester  as  when  the 
two  schools  mingled.  Our  boys  were  pain- 
fully surprised  to  find  that  Ashville  possessed 
so  much  confidence,  despite  the  fact  that 
they  were  about  to  play  the  champions  of 
the  State.  Notwithstanding  the  sharp  dif- 
ference of  opinion,  peace  prevailed  on  all 
hands. 

The  hotel  was  deserted,  and  the  town,  too, 
when,  arrayed  for  battle,  we  got  into  our  bus 
and  rolled  off  toward  the  grounds,  whither 
every  one  had  flocked  half  an  hour  before. 


80  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

It  had  always  been  Allen's  plan  to  bring  his 
team  on  the  field  last,  and  so  he  contrived  to 
sneak  us  into  a  little  house  at  one  end  of  the 
grounds,  without  being  seen  either  by  their 
followers  or  ours. 

We  could  hear  the  storm  of  cheering. 
There  was  the  quick,  barking  treble  cry  of 
Ashville,  that  brought  back  to  memory 
many  a  hard-fought  contest  of  days  gone  by, 
and  the  deep,  ringing  "  rah,  rah,"  of  Belle 
Monte,  which  sent  a  thrill  of  joy  and  con- 
fidence through  our  hearts.  After  we  had 
received  final  instructions  from  Mr.  Mathews, 
Ashville  had  not  yet  put  in  an  appearance, 
so  I  climbed  up  to  a  small,  high  window 
that  commanded  a  view  of  the  field,  to  take  a 
look  at  what  was  going  on  outside. 

I  had  seen  Belle  Monte  embattled  upon 
many  a  great  field  during  the  four  years  past, 
but  when  I  looked  out  from  the  little  window 
I  never  before  felt  so  proud  of  the  old  school. 
Our  friends,  with  their  crowds  of  adherents, 
stretched  along  the  far  side  of  the  field, 
while  Ashville  occupied  the  nearer  side, 
though  I  could  only  see  their  backs  then. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  8 1 

But  I  was  looking  at  Belle  Monte  and  did 
not  notice  them  much.  The  boys  had  filled 
a  little  stand  at  one  end  of  the  grounds  and 
from  there  stood  in  a  solid  line,  which  seemed 
to  be  twenty  deep,  all  the  way  along  the 
ropes.  The  first  row  was  lying  on  the  grass, 
the  next  was  kneeling,  and  back  of  that  they 
were  looking  over  each  other's  shoulders. 
Blue  and  white  fluttered  from  every  button- 
hole, from  many  a  hat  and  uplifted  stick  and 
cane.  Near  the  centre  of  this  great  array, 
the  school  pennant  slowly  unrolled  its  heavy 
folds  before  the  slight  breeze.  The  whole 
line  seemed  to  surge  and  waver  with  tense 
anticipation  and  excitement.  From  end 
to  end  rang  the  never-ceasing  battle-cry. 
Some  were  throwing  hats  in  air,  some 
were  waving  flags  and  canes.  The  bright 
colours  twinkled  against  the  dark  back- 
ground. Yes,  Belle  Monte  was  ready  for 
the  fray. 

At  both  ends  of  the  field  there  were  many 
vehicles,  —  coaches,  carriages,  and  others. 
I  searched  among  them  and  finally  caught 
sight  of  a  familiar  group,  upon  the  top  of 


82  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

a  coach  at  the  far  end  of  the  field,  to  which 
Mrs.  Sulden  and  Evelyn  belonged. 

On  the  other  side  Ashville  was  arrayed. 
They  seemed  to  have  as  many  people  on 
the  field  as  we.  Though  their  backs  were 
turned  I  could  catch  sight  of  the  old  gold 
and  white  streamers  flaunted  now  and  then 
above  their  heads.  They,  too,  were  thun- 
dering, and  seemed  confident.  I  called  to 
Harkis  and,  climbing  down,  loaned  him  a 
knee  so  he  could  pull  up  into  my  place  and 
take  a  peep.  He  looked  out  over  the  Belle 
Monte  side  with  a  suppressed  exclamation. 

"  Isn't  it  fine  ?  "  he  said. 

Then  a  great  cheer  went  up  from  the 
Ashville  side. 

"  What's  the  matter  ? "  exclaimed  half  a 
dozen  of  us  who  were  standing  below  him. 

"  They  have  come  into  the  other  end  of 
the  field,"  he  answered,  and,  in  the  lull  that 
followed,  the  faint  "  thud  "  of  a  punted  ball 
fell  upon  our  ears. 

"  They  are  scattering  out  now,"  he  said. 
"  Here  comes  Markham  chasing  a  long  one, 
and  there  is  that  big,  tall  fellow,  Brown. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  83 

There's  a  new  man  down  there  in  a  leather 
suit,  —  wonder  who  he  is  ?  " 

Somebody  explained  that  he  was  their 
crack  half-back,  and  had  just  come  to 
school  a  couple  of  weeks  before. 

A  minute  later  Captain  Allen  called  to 
us,  "  Come  on,  boys,  let's  get  out ;  keep 
close  together." 

At  a  brisk  trot  and  in  a  close  bunch  we 
swung  across  the  short  space  between  the 
little  house  and  the  side  line. 

"  Here  they  come,  here  they  come ! " 
shouted  the  nearest  Ashville  supporters 
as  we  appeared.  It  was  evident  that  both 
they  and  Belle  Monte  had  been  looking 
toward  the  other  end  of  the  field  for  us. 

"  Here  are  those  men  who  are  about  to  be 
ex-champions,"  yelled  somebody. 

We  quickly  pushed  our  way  through  the 
crowd  and  out  on  the  field.  Instantly  the 
eyes  of  all  Belle  Monte  were  on  us,  and  we 
were  received  with  such  an  awful  roar  that 
it  was  enough  to  put  Belle  Monte  to  shame. 
Then,  beginning  with  Captain  Allen,  they 
cheered  us  each  by  name,  as  we  scattered 


84  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

out  and  began  passing  and  punting  to  warm 
up. 

After  some  minutes  of  this  work,  the  two 
captains  held  a  brief  consultation.  Luck 
was  with  Belle  Monte  at  the  start,  for  Allen 
won  the  toss.  Of  course  he  took  the  ball,  as 
there  was  little  or  no  wind  and  hence  no 
choice  in  goals.  Markham  chose  the  one 
toward  the  entrance  of  the  field. 

The  long  talked  of  and  long  looked  for 
moment  had  arrived,  Belle  Monte  and  Ash- 
ville  stood  face  to  face  and  ready.  The 
unfaltering  logic  of  strength  and  speed 
was  about  to  settle  two  years  of  harassing 
dispute. 

No  wonder  a  dead  pause  fell  over  that 
whole  throng,  as  we  gathered  into  a  close 
V,  with  old  Zell  straddling  the  ball.  That 
half  minute's  time  we  stood  waiting  in  sus- 
pense seemed  interminable  to  me. 

"  Are  you  ready,  Captain  Markham  ? "  asked 
the  referee,  finally. 

The  central  figure  in  the  line  ten  yards 
away  nodded  his  head. 

"  Are  you  ready,  Captain  Allen  ?  " 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  85 

"  I  am." 

The  whistle's  sharp  note  cut  the  stillness. 

There  was  a  quick  and  heavy  rush  of  feet, 
a  wild  roar  from  one  side,  and  an  answering 
roar  from  the  other. 

Our  wedge  was  well  set,  for  it  made  nearly 
half  the  distance  before  their  tacklers  were 
on  us.  If  well  set,  it  was  also  well  broken. 
Their  heavy  men  plunged  under,  their  light 
ones  came  over.  Still  Harkis,  who  had  the 
ball,  struggled  forward,  Engle's  arms  around 
him  on  one  side  and  mine  on  the  other,  nor 
was  he  borne  down  until  he  made  within  a 
single  yard  of  where  Ashville  had  lined  up. 
It  was  a  good  nine-yard  gain  right  through 
them. 

"Well  done!"  yelled  Belle  Monte,  "hur- 
rah for  Harkis ! " 

"  Well  stopped,  Ashville  !  "  answered  the 
other  side. 

Allen's  favourite  method,  at  the  beginning 
of  a  game,  was  to  kick  on  the  first  down. 
He  said  it  gave  us  time  to  steady  ourselves, 
and  we  could  do  this  easier  when  the  other 
side  had  the  ball,  provided  it  was  well  down 


86  THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

in  their  territory.  Now  if  our  rush-line  had 
any  unusually  strong  feature,  it  was  in  de- 
fensive play.  We  always  prided  ourselves 
on  the  quickness  with  which  we  could  stop 
an  opposing  team  when  they  had  the  ball. 
Upon  this  Allen  relied  whenever  he  played 
his  kicking  game. 

So  on  the  very  first  down  the  signal  was 
for  a  kick.  The  Ashville  men  came  break- 
ing through  with  surprising  quickness,  and 
very  nearly  blocked,  but  Allen,  with  a  power- 
ful swing  of  his  good  right  leg,  sent  the  ball 
sailing  high  and  far  down  the  field. 

Away  we  went — Wheat  and  I  —  scurrying 
after  it.  Their  full-back,  waiting  to  receive 
the  catch,  no  doubt  heard  us  thundering 
upon  him,  even  above  the  yells  from  the 
side  lines.  But  he  stood  poised  gracefully, 
with  a  contemptuous  smile  upon  his  face, 
which  told  how  little  he  cared  for  being 
hurled  back  to  the  earth  by  two  strong  end 
rushers  at  full  tilt.  He  had  barely  snapped 
the  ball  into  his  arms,  before  we  were  upon 
him  almost  together.  The  momentum  of 
our  charge,  and  our  combined  weight  swept 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  8/ 

him  from  his  strongly  braced  legs  as  if  he 
had  been  a  mere  tenpin,  and  all  three  of  us 
rolled  and  tumbled  together  on  the  sod  some 
feet  farther  back.  But  he  never  fumbled, 
plucky  fellow  that  he  was.  He  clung  to  the 
ball  as  he  clung  to  his  life. 

"  Great  tackles,  great  tackles,  you  are  all 
right,  Wheat,  you  are  all  right,  Wilkins!" 

"  You  are  all  right,  Shaw,  gritty  boy,  great 
catch !  "  echoed  the  other  side. 

Now  it  was  Ashville's  chance,  and,  as  we 
hurried  to  our  places  in  the  line,  an  ominous 
silence  fell  over  the  field  again. 

There  was  a  quick  call  of  signals,  and  in 
an  instant  the  two  crouching  lines  became 
one  struggling  mass.  Here  they  came  my 
way,  their  interference  well  set  and  running 
hard.  It  all  happened  so  quickly  that  it 
cannot  be  described  with  words.  More 
rapid  than  thought  Harkis  and  then  Moore 
had  hurled  themselves  into,  and  shattered 
their  interference  as  two  bomb-shells  would 
shatter  the  head  of  an  advancing  column. 
Thus  the  runner  became  immediately  cleared 
and  unprotected,  so  it  was  the  easiest  thing 


88  THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

in  the  world  for  me  to  swoop  down  on  him 
and  nail  him  to  the  earth  before  he  had 
gained  an  inch.  On  the  right,  Belle  Monte 's 
battle-cry  fairly  rent  the  heavens,  while  the 
other  side  was  silent. 

"  Second  down,  and  five  to  gain,"  said  the 
referee. 

The  next  time  they  tried  the  other  end, 
but  little  Russell,  like  a  winged  demon,  had 
shot  in  behind  their  interference  and  pulled 
the  runner  to  the  earth  for  a  loss.  It  looked 
as  if  victory  were  coming  to  us  right  here  at 
the  very  beginning. 

"  Third  down,  and  eight  to  gain,"  declared 
the  referee. 

Then  Allen  and  Russell  dropped  back, 
and  on  the  next  down,  as  we  expected,  they 
kicked.  It  was  still  all  Belle  Monte's  way, 
for  Allen  had  caught  and,  dodging  both 
their  charging  ends,  made  a  good  return 
run.  Now  we  were  ready  for  our  onward 
work  right  down  in  their  own  territory. 

"  A  touch-down  in  a  minute !  Right 
through  them !  They  are,  oh,  so  easy. 
Run  over  them  !  It's  a  pudding !  "  were 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  89 

the  various  excited  shouts  from  our  side, 
until  all  was  drowned  in  the  yell  again. 
It  looked  bad  for  Ashville,  and,  confound 
my  foolishness,  I  began  to  feel  sorry  for 
them  already.  But  there  was  still  lots  of 
fight  left  in  them.  I  could  see  it  by  the 
look  of  grim  determination  in  their  faces, 
and  the  left  side  of  the  field  was  now  ring- 
ing with  quick  cheers  of  encouragement. 

As  a  starter,  we  fired  big  Jack  Engle  into 
tackle.  My,  but  it  was  well  defended ! 
Though  we  came  with  our  most  terrific 
rush,  running  as  one  man,  and  hit  the  line 
with  the  force  of  a  battering-ram,  still  Jack 
was  scarcely  able  to  measure  half  his  length 
of  ground  to  the  good.  Hardly  before  we 
were  well  started  their  men  got  right  under 
the  play.  Their  tackles  came  through  in 
a  trice,  and  what  seemed  to  be  a  splendid 
plunge  through  the  line  merely  ended  in  a 
confusion  of  bodies,  arms,  and  legs,  with 
Engle  at  the  bottom  of  the  pile.  We  next 
tried  on  the  other  side,  and  set  as  strong  an 
interference  as  ever  in  our  lives.  Russell 
got  us  off  well,  but  the  chain-lightning  style 


90  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

they  met  us  with  fairly  took  our  breath 
away.  They  seemed  to  be  literally  waiting 
for  us,  they  were  so  fast.  The  interference 
was  bowled  over  before  it  got  a  good  start, 
and,  horror  of  horrors,  the  runner  was  tackled 
from  behind.  You  ought  to  have  seen  the 
expression  of  surprise  on  Allen's  face.  Of 
course  our  next  signal  was  for  a  kick,  but 
when  their  leather-clad  man  broke  through 
the  line  and  blocked,  and  another  Ashville 
man  fell  on  the  ball,  Allen's  surprise  turned 
to  a  deep  rage. 

"  What's  the  matter  here  ? "  he  burst  out 
almost  before  the  Ashville  side  of  the  field 
realised  it  was  their  turn  to  cheer. 

It  did  look  as  if  something  was  the  matter, 
for  I  had  never  seen  the  like  of  the  start 
those  fellows  were  getting  on  us  in  every 
play.  Belle  Monte's  defence  may  have  been 
grea,t,  but  this  was  the  quickest  I  had  ever 
seen.  Nor  could  we  understand  why  it 
should  have  been  so  much  better  in  pro- 
portion than  their  attack.  They  hammered 
away  at  us  a  few  times,  but  we  won  the  ball 
again  soon.  Yet  we  could  do  nothing  after 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  91 

getting  it,  and  so  were  immediately  forced  to 
kick.  The  longer  we  played  the  more  sur- 
prising it  became  that  we  could  not  get 
through  these  men.  They  did  not  seem  as 
hard  as  either  Pauloffs  or  Randall-Mason, 
but,  every  time  we  tried,  it  ended  in  noth- 
ing but  losses  or  insignificant  gains.  No, 
sir,  I  had  never  seen  such  defence,  nor  had 
any  of  us.  Our  friends  were  as  much  sur- 
prised as  we,  but  they  never  let  up  in  their 
cheering.  There  was  but  little  difference  in 
this  respect  on  the  Ashville  side. 

And  so  we  fought  the  first  half  through. 
Both  captains  resorted  to  kicking,  when  they 
realised  the  strength  of  their  opponents' 
defence.  Allen  got  the  best  of  it  on  nearly 
every  exchange  of  punts,  and  this  was  the 
only  advantage  of  which  Belle  Monte  could 
boast.  We  did  not  carry  the  ball  any  closer 
to  their  goal  than  the  twenty-five-yard  line. 
They  were  unable  to  do  so  well  against  us. 
Both  teams  got  through  the  half  in  very 
good  trim,  though  this  unusually  strong 
defence  they  put  up  became  very  wearing. 

While  Ashville  was  making  a  great  noise 


92  THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

over  its  team  during  the  intermission,  Mr. 
Mathews  called  us  from  the  crowd  over  to 
the  little  house.  After  we  were  all  inside 
and  the  door  carefully  closed,  there  was  a 
short  pause,  as  the  cheering  had  become  so 
loud  we  could  not  hear  each  other  speak. 

"Well,"  said  Allen,  addressing  Mr. 
Mathews  when  the  noise  had  finally  died 
away,  "  what  do  you  suppose  is  the 
matter  ? " 

"  The  matter !  "  A  singularly  cold  smile 
lit  up  Mr.  Mathews 's  face.  Here  he  paused, 
for  the  cheering  had  broken  out  again. 
"  The  matter  is,"  —  he  repeated,  at  length, 
and  looking  around  at  our  flushed  and  earn- 
est faces  with  the  fore  parts  of  our  long  hair 
dangling  in  our  eyes.  "  Why,  Allen,  I  am 
surprised." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  answered  our  captain, 
"  they  have  the  best  defence  I  ever  went 
against,  that's  all." 

"  Defence  !  "  said  Mr.  Mathews,  with  almost 
a  sneer;  "  why,  boys,"  he  exclaimed,  lowering 
his  voice,  "  you  would  go  through  them  with 
a  rush,  but  they  know  your  signals  !  " 


"  '  THEY   KNOW   YOUR   SIGNALS  !  ' ' 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  95 

If  the  little  house  had  jumped  up  from  its 
foundations  and  set  us  down  at  Belle  Monte, 
we  could  not  have  been  more  astounded. 
But  even  as  he  said  it  we  all  seemed  to 
realise  the  truth.  There  was  a  momentary 
pause  when  we  glanced  suspiciously  from 
one  to  another.  Then  there  came  an  angry 
outburst.  Who  could  have  dared,  we  wanted 
to  know,  to  have  given  the  secrets  of  Belle 
Monte  to  the  enemy  ?  Such  a  thing  was 
unknown  in  the  history  of  the  school.  For 
several  minutes  we  raged.  Then  we  were 
recalled  to  our  senses  by  Mr.  Mathews's  calm 
voice. 

"  Somebody  has  certainly  given  them  the 
signals,"  he  said ;  "  they  even  know  the  trick 
plays  and  kicks,  and  apparently  have  had 
time  to  practise  on  them.  There  is  no  doubt 
about  it,  and  something  must  be  done." 

"  But  what  ?  "  answered  Allen. 

"  Why,  you  can  change  the  active  number 
of  your  signals,  and  they  will  be  that  much 
more  in  the  dark." 

"  I  don't  see  how  we  can  very  well  do  that," 
answered  Allen. 


96  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

Our  code  of  signals  was  a  very  complicated 
and  arbitrary  arrangement,  and  as  we  had 
used  the  same  old  combinations  for  three 
years,  you  may  well  imagine  they  had  gotten 
pretty  well  fastened  in  our  heads.  So  when 
Allen  said  he  did  not  see  how  any  change 
could  be  made,  we  all  agreed  with  him. 

"  But  still,"  answered  Mr.  Mathews,  "  you 
cannot  reasonably  expect  to  score  when 
they  know  every  play  just  as  it  is  called 
off." 

We  agreed  with  this,  too,  for  it  was  only 
sound  football  doctrine. 

"  Maybe  we  had  better  make  a  change," 
said  Allen,  finally,  "  but  it  is  liable  to  bring 
about  lots  of  confusion,  we  have  been  work- 
ing these  same  old  numbers  so  long.  Rus- 
sell will  have  trouble,  I  know." 

"  That's  so,"  answered  Mr.  Mathews;  "  sup- 
pose you  whisper  him  the  plays  just  before 
calling  the  signals  ?  This  will  be  slow,  but 
cannot  be  helped." 

It  was  then  agreed,  and  we  determined  to 
change  the  active  number  from  the  second 
to  the  third  one  of  the  series.  Mr.  Mathews 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.  97 

asked  us,  in  much  the  same  tone  I  have 
heard  him  use  at  French  class,  if  we  could 
carry  that  in  our  heads  and  not  get  mixed 
up.  We  thought  we  could. 

A  moment  later,  the  referee's  whistle  re- 
called us  to  the  field. 

We  changed  goals,  and  this  time  Ashville 
had  the  ball.  They  started  with  the  V,  but 
we  brought  them  down  before  they  made 
half  the  distance.  They  tried  us  on  the 
ends,  but  could  do  nothing,  and  so  the  ball 
went  over  on  kick.  It  was  our  turn  now  to 
give  the  newly  arranged  code  a  trial.  The 
first  time  it  could  not  have  worked  better, 
for  we  sent  Engle  through  for  twenty  yards. 
How  they  woke  up  on  the  Ashville  side ! 
But  the  next  play,  which  was  Harkis  on  the 
end,  resulted  in  confusion  and  no  gain. 
We  made  it  up  a  moment  later  when  Allen 
carried  the  ball  twenty-five  yards.  The 
heavens  were  echoing  on  our  side.  Then 
Moore  took  it  straight  through  for  ten. 

"  Oh,  this  is  a  snap !  "  he  exclaimed,  with 
a  laugh,  as  they  pulled  him  down.  We  were 
on  their  thirty-five-yard  line  now,  and  they 


98  THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

were  fighting  us  desperately.  Engle  again 
hurled  himself  through  for  ten,  but  there 
was  more  confusion  because  of  mixed  signals, 
and  we  almost  lost  the  ball  on  a  fumble. 
Plays  by  Wheat  and  Harkis  ended  in  losses. 
I  suppose  by  this  time  the  Ashville  team 
had  begun  to  realise  that  we  had  changed 
our  active  number. 

We  were  too  far  over  to  try  a  goal  from 
the  field.  Allen  called  my  number.  The 
interference  cleared  a  good  way,  for  I  was 
not  downed  until  I  reached  the  ten-yard  line. 
Here  Belle  Monte  students  could  be  no 
longer  restrained  by  the  ropes,  and  crowded 
out  into  the  field.  They  were  pushed  back 
only  after  some  delay.  Harkis  was  tried  on 
the  end,  but  there  were  more  mixed  signals 
and  a  couple  of  heads  bumped.  For  a 
moment  we  lost  the  ball  on  a  fumble,  but 
Russell,  with  a  great  dive,  managed  to  rescue 
it.  Moore  went  through  once  again,  and 
this  time  put  the  ball  inside  their  five-yard 
line.  Their  goal  line  was  almost  beneath  our 
feet !  We  had  the  victory  won  !  One  effort 
more,  and  it  would  go  over!  Again  did 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.  99 

the  Belle  Monte  crowd  throng  out  over  the 
ropes.  Ashville  was  not  silent  now  in  this 
extremity.  Their  sharp  battle-cry,  though 
it  did  not  seem  to  possess  quite  so  much 
snap,  still  could  be  heard  even  above  the 
disorganised  and  excited  yelling  on  our  side. 

The  field  was  cleared  once  more,  and 
Allen  called  the  signal  slowly  and  distinctly. 
I  can  remember  it  yet. 

"  Now,  be  careful,  boys,"  he  said,  "  thirteen, 
fourteen,  seventeen ! " 

It  was  for  Briggs,  the  left  guard,  to  go 
outside  of  tackle  on  my  side.  The  man 
opposite  me  evidently  knew  where  the  play 
was  coming,  for  he  crowded  in  so  close  to 
tackle  that  it  gave  me  no  chance  to  push 
him  out.  So,  instead,  I  jumped  forward  as 
the  ball  was  put  in  play,  and  pushed  him 
farther  in  toward  the  centre,  at  the  same 
time  calling,  "  Outside."  It  was  our  usual 
signal  for  a  play  of  this  kind,  and  I  confi- 
dently expected  the  runner  and  his  interfer- 
ence to  pass  outside  of  me.  What  could 
have  been  the  trouble  with  Briggs,  I  do  not 
know.  He  said,  afterward,  that  he  did  not 


1 00         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

hear  me ;  very  probably  he  didn't.  I  do 
know,  though,  that  instead  of  his  bucking 
in  on  my  right,  his  lowered  head  hit  me 
squarely  between  the  shoulders,  and  with 
his  interference  crowding  fast  behind  it  was 
no  light  tap.  The  Ashville  man  with  whom 
I  was  struggling,  and  myself  pitched  forward, 
and  Briggs  and  his  interference  came  tum- 
bling and  piling  over  us. 

I  did  not  notice  my  hard  knocks,  though, 
for  the  play  was  a  rank  failure,  and  I  feared, 
at  the  time,  that  it  had  been  all  my  fault. 
As  it  was,  for  the  moment  I  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  the  pile.  Unless  you  had  seen 
how  it  happened,  I  fear  you  can  never  fully 
comprehend,  everything  occurred  so  quickly. 
I  was  lying  with  my  cheek  right  against  the 
dry  grass,  waiting  for  the  others  to  disentan- 
gle themselves.  Beyond  the  head  and 
shoulders  of  another  prostrate  player,  I 
caught  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  part  of  the 
Ashville  side.  Great  was  my  surprise  when 
I  saw  them  suddenly  begin  to  throw  their 
hats  in  air,  and  the  next  instant  the  whole 
side  of  the  field  rang  with  the  wildest  cheers. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.          IOI 

What  could  be  the  matter?  What  had 
happened  ?  I  was  afraid  to  get  up  and  look 
around,  yet  I  could  not  do  so  quick  enough. 
The  sight  I  beheld  sickened  my  very  soul. 
Forty  yards  down  the  field  one  of  their  men, 
with  the  ball,  was  running  like  a  frightened 
deer  toward  our  goal.  About  ten  yards 
behind  were  Allen  and  Russell,  making  des- 
perate efforts  to  reach  him.  Two  Ashville 
men  were  between  them  and  the  runner, 
blocking  them  at  every  step. 

Though  it  was  foolishness,  I  could  not 
help  but  follow.  I  might  have  outfooted  the 
runner  and  his  interference  if  I  had  been 
within  reasonable  distance,  but  forty  yards, 
oh,  no,  that  was  too  much  to  overcome  in  a 
hundred-yard  race.  The  man  with  the  ball 
carried  it  right  between  our  goal-posts  and 
touched  it  down.  This  was  something  that 
for  more  than  two  years  no  other  team  had 
done.  Almost  instantly  the  field  was  cov- 
ered with  Ashville  boys,  the  craziest  mob 
of  yelling  lunatics  that  ever  existed.  They 
shouldered  each  member  of  that  team  of 
theirs,  which  had  been  so  thoroughly  whipped 


IO2          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

but  a  minute  before,  and  carried  them  around 
the  field  in  triumph.  More  could  not  have 
been  made  over  them  had  they  bucked  our 
centre  for  the  whole  distance. 

On  our  side  all  was  silence  and  distress, 
save  now  and  then  a  long-drawn  cheer. 

And  how  did  it  happen,  this  rank  acci- 
dent ?  You  may  well  ask.  For  my  part,  I 
did  not  see  it  until  the  disaster  was  practi- 
cally completed.  Here  is  the  way  they  say 
it  occurred.  Briggs,  who  ran  with  the  ball, 
butted  me  in  the  back  and  then,  with  his 
interference,  tumbled  over  me.  I  have  rea- 
son to  recollect  this  much  very  well  indeed. 
When  he  went  down,  two  or  three  fell  on 
top  of  him,  and  in  doing  so  squeezed  the 
ball  out  of  his  arms.  It  escaped  from  his 
grasp  and  rolled  clear  of  the  crush.  Their 
full-back  picked  it  up  and  was  off  like  a 
shot.  You  have  been  told  the  rest.  It  was 
the  worst  "fluke  "  that  ever  changed  victory 
into  defeat.  I  used  to  try  and  keep  my 
head  on  the  football  field,  but  in  the  mad 
five  minutes  which  followed  that  touch-down, 
I  hardly  know  what  I  did  or  said.  We  were 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         103 

not  whipped,  though.  Far  from  it.  The 
Belle  Monte  team  was  the  most  infuriated 
set  of  boys  I  ever  saw.  It  affected  them  in 
different  ways.  Allen  could  not  talk,  his 
voice  was  so  choked.  Zell  roared  like  the 
big  bull  he  was.  Poor  Briggs  wept,  and  at 
that  moment  we  had  but  little  sympathy  for 
him.  Engle,  who  never  lost  his  temper,  was 
the  only  quiet  man  in  the  crowd.  Moore 
wanted  to  fisrht.  We  had  to  hold  him  to 

O 

keep  him  from  rushing  into  the  crowd  and 
swinging  right  and  left.  Some  of  us  tried 
to  take  our  medicine  like  men,  but  it  was 
a  most  unpalatable  and  nasty  dose.  When 
they  finally  cleared  the  field,  the  Ashville 
full-back  kicked  an  easy  goal. 

Allen  warned  us,  before  we  lined  up  to 
start  again,  that  he  was  going  back  to  the 
old  signal  combinations.  There  was  too 
much  confusion  about  the  other,  and  another 
"  fluke  "  would  be  liable  to  result.  Though 
Ashville  knew  them,  we  had  to  accept  the 
inevitable  and  fight  it  out  as  best  we  could. 
From  the  very  start,  they  seemed  to  under- 
stand that  we  had  gone  back  to  our  old 


104         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

signals,  for  after  a  few  short  gains  we 
could  do  nothing.  When  they  tried,  we 
had  the  grim  satisfaction  each  time  of  hurl- 
ing them  back  with  losses.  But  this  would 

— t 
not  win  the  game.     We  needed  points  to  do 

that.  So,  as  minute  after  minute  slipped 
by,  we  became  more  desperate  in  our  as- 
saults upon  their  line.  Yet  still  they  balked 
us  each  time  with  only  short  gains,  or  maybe 
losses.  It  had  become  very  wearing  for  both 
teams,  but  much  the  more  so  for  us,  as  our 
exertions  were  the  greater. 

They  were  singing  a  song  of  victory  on 
the  Ashville  side,  which  was  now  and  again 
drowned  by  their  shrill  yell.  On  the  Belle 
Monte  side,  grand  old  Belle  Monte,  no 
V  quitter "  could  be  found  there.  Even 
though  defeat  seemed  face  to  face  with  their 
champions,  they  chanted  the  battle-cry  and 
shouted  encouragement  to  us. 

"  Now,  boys,  for  the  honour  of  the  old 
school,  come  for  the  blue  and  white !  " 

"  Make  it  a  touch-down,  then  make  it 
two ! " 

"  Get  through  that  line ! " 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         105 

"  Captain  Allen  will  do  it !  " 

"  We  will  win  it  yet,  we  will,  we  will, 
we  will !  Rah,  rah,  Allen ! "  Then  would 
follow  the  deep,  thundering  yell. 

It  was  terrible  on  us,  for  even  with  such 
sounds  in  our  ears  we  were  powerless. 
They  did  not  understand,  as  it  had  not 
become  generally  known  that  Ashville  knew 
our  signals.  Mr.  Mathews  had  told  no  one, 
for  fear  another  riot  might  result. 

Could  we  never  get  by  those  ends,  or 
through  that  line,  no  matter  how  furiously 
we  hurled  our  bodies,  now  fast  weakening? 
Oh,  for  one  minute  of  fair  play!  For  one 
short  minute  when  our  signals  should  be 
our  own  and  not  theirs  also.  As  we  strug- 
gled we  reproached  them  with  it,  but  they 
only  laughed  at  us.  No  matter  how  hard 
we  tried,  they  flung  themselves  right  in  our 
way.  This  vicious  and  desperate  work  had 
begun  to  tell  heavily  on  us.  After  nearly 
every  play  somebody  was  left  stretched 
upon  the  sod,  and  it  would  be  a  minute  or 
two  before  he  could  take  his  place. 

We  were  still  about  mid-field,  neither  hav- 


106          THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

ing  gained  much  from  the  other.  Engle  had 
just  gotten  the  breath  knocked  out  of  him 
on  the  last  try  and  was  taking  his  time  to 
recover.  As  we  turned  to  our  places,  again, 
the  timekeepers  gave  warning  that  there 
remained  only  ten  more  minutes  to  play. 
Then  Allen  appealed  to  us. 

"  Now,  boys,  right  through  them,  for  the 
sake  of  Belle  Monte.  Fair  play  against  foul, 
dirty  work  cannot  win.  Oh,  now,  boys !  "  It 
affected  us  deeply,  battered  and  weary  as  we 
were,  and  there  followed  a  squaring  of  shoul- 
ders and  a  bracing  of  legs  along  the  line. 
Then,  when  he  called  my  number,  such  a 
maddened  determination  seized  me  that  I 
could  hardly  hold  my  place  until  the  ball 
was  put  in  play.  I  would  gain  my  distance 
this  time  or  — 

"  Look  out  there,  on  the  other  side,"  cried 
their  big  man,  Brown,  "  Wilkins  is  coming 
that  way." 

I  bit  on  my  nose-mask  and  answered 
nothing,  but  oh,  how  I  raged  against  them 
in  my  heart.  For  reply  Brown  received  a 
hard  punch  in  the  face  from  Moore's  strong 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         IO? 

arm.  It  was  the  first  blow  that  had  been 
struck  during  the  game,  but  a  general  fight 
might  have  followed  if  the  cooler  heads  had 
not  run  in  and  immediately  put  a  stop  to 
the  trouble.  The  referee  would  have  dis- 
qualified Moore,  but  he  did  not  seen  him. 
When  they  had  been  subdued,  the  ball  was 
snapped.  As  I  sprang  from  my  position  I 
gathered  myself  together  to  make  the  effort 
of  my  life.  The  interference  swung  in  well 
around  me.  There  was  a  trample  of  feet, 
a  grinding  of  canvas  jackets,  as  we  struck 
the  line,  and  then  that  peculiar  indescribable 
sound  of  men  tumbling  over  each  other  and 
falling.  Suddenly  everything  grew  dark  be- 
fore me,  and  around  my  head  there  seemed 
to  be  ten  thousand  stars  dancing.  The 
stars  disappeared,  and  I  do  not  know  what 
happened  after  that  for  awhile.  I  have  a 
faint  recollection  of  hearing  several  voices 
speaking  excitedly.  Somebody  was  saying 
that  Brown  and  Moore  had  been  trying  to 
have  their  fight  out,  and  somebody  else,  I 
believe  it  was  Jack  Engle  himself,  that  it 
was  the  dirtiest  trick  in  the  world  to  kick  a 


108          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

man  in  the  head.  I  felt  something  cold  on 
my  forehead,  and  must  have  opened  my  eyes 
a  moment  later.  Harkis  was  bending  over 
anxiously  and  peering  into  my  face. 

"  How  is  it,  old  man  ? "  he  said.  "  I  believe 
that  dirty  dog,  Brown,  must  have  kicked  you 
on  the  noodle  after  you  were  tackled,  but 
you  made  your  twenty  even  if  they  did  know 
where  the  play  was  coming." 

I  remember  more  clearly  what  happened 
just  after  I  opened  my  eyes  than  what 
occurred  later.  Almost  everything  after 
that,  excepting  the  few  moments  that 
Harkis  spoke  to  me,  is  a  confused  jumble 
in  my  mind.  I  remember  when  I  got  up 
on  my  feet  again  there  was  a  sound  of 
cheering  around  the  field.  I  do  not  know 
for  what,  I  am  sure.  Then  I  must  have  stag- 
gered, because  several  of  the  boys  crowded 
around  and  tried  to  lead  me  off.  I  think  I 
broke  away  from  them  and  ran  back  into 
my  place.  The  game  must  have  then  gone 
on,  but  how  it  went,  or  what  was  done,  I  do 
not  know.  I  have  a  faint  idea  of  hearing 
the  signals  called.  I  knew  when  they  were 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         IOQ 

ours  because  I  recognised  Allen's  voice. 
They  told  me  afterward  that  I  was  in 
nearly  every  play,  both  theirs  and  ours,  but 
if  so,  I  do  not  remember  it.  I  recollect,  also, 
noticing  that  the  longer  we  played  the 
louder  the  sound  grew  on  the  left,  and  that 
fainter  and  at  greater  intervals  came  cheers 
from  the  right.  Finally,  all  the  sound  seemed 
to  come  from  the  left,  and  the  right  was 
entirely  silent.  Even  above  this  babel  of 
noise,  though,  I  could  every  now  and  then 
catch  Allen's  voice  speaking  to  us.  It 
seemed  quavering  and  unsteady  to  be  utter- 
ing words  of  encouragement.  There  were 
other  men  on  our  side  of  the  line  who 
talked,  too,  and  raged  like  demons  during 
that  last  terrible  ten  minutes,  but  I  did  not 
hear  them. 

Another  moment  of  lucidity  punctuated 
all  this  confusion.  It  was  when  the  time- 
keepers ran  in  and  warned  the  captains  that 
they  had  but  two  minutes  more  to  play.  I 
do  not  remember  hearing  or  seeing  anything 
after  that  until  it  was  all  over.  I  have  a 
faint  recollection  of  when  the  whistle  blew. 


IIO         THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

Then  the  noise  on  the  left  increased  with 
a  tremendous  burst,  and  a  moment  later  I 
appeared  to  be  surrounded  by  a  sea  of 
black  figures,  shouting  and  dancing  like 
devils. 

I  have  an  idea  that  it  must  have  been 
Harkis's  voice,  and  it  seemed  to  me  to  be 
tearful,  which  said :  "  Come  on,  John,  don't 
do  that,  it's  all  over  now.  That's  all  right, 
boys,  he  don't  know  what  he's  doing.  Don't 
take  offence  at  it.  Come  on,  John,  it's  all 
over,  come  on." 

"  You  are  all  right,  Wilkins,  but  oh,  my, 
you  can't  play  ball  with  Ashville ! "  said  a 
loud  voice.  I  was  evidently  not  surrounded 
by  my  friends. 

I  begged  Harkis  to  let  me  go  back  into 
the  game. 

"  But  there  is  no  more  game,  it's  over,"  he 
answered,  in  a  tone  which  aroused  me  to 
something  like  an  appreciation  of  what  had 
happened.  "  There  they  go,  the  Ashville 
men,  off  on  the  shoulders  of  their  friends." 

I  must  have  started  on  away,  and  then 
began  to  stagger,  because  several  boys,  whose 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         Ill 

voices  I  recognised,  immediately  surrounded 
and  caught  hold  of  me.  I  jerked  away  from 
them  and  struck  right  and  left.  Did  they 
want  to  disgrace  me,  by  carrying  me  off  the 
field  right  in  the  midst  of  the  whole  Ash- 
ville  school !  No,  sir,  they  should  not  touch 
me,  and  they  did  not,  though  Harkis  walked 
very  near.  We  trooped  slowly  out. 

Our  schoolmates  and  friends  had  already 
learned  the  real  cause  of  defeat  and  were 
on  fire  with  indignation.  The  deep  cheer 
of  Belle  Monte  was  now  echoing  back  a 
defiance  to  the  victors. 

As  I  passed  through  the  end  of  the  field 
where  the  vehicles  were,  a  female  voice  called 
to  me  from  near  by. 

"John,  oh,  John!" 

I  knew  even  then  to  whom  that  voice  be- 
longed, and,  looking  up,  I  saw  bending  over 
me,  from  a  tall  coach,  the  face  of  her  whom 
I  always  thought  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
world.  It  was  very  pale  and  seemed  to  ex- 
press much  fear.  Was  it  a  mist  before  my 
eyes,  or  were  there  tears  in  hers  ? 

"  John,  are  you  much  hurt  ?     Oh,  John,  it 


112          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

was  so  terrible !  How  did  Belle  Monte  get 
beaten  ?  But  are  you  hurt  ?  " 

I  tried  to  answer,  but,  curse  it,  my  tongue 
was  too  thick.  Then  another  familiar  face 
appeared,  and  in  an  anxious  tone,  full  of  dis- 
tress and  motherly  kindness,  asked  me  if  I 
was  much  hurt.  I  tried  to  answer  again, 
but  could  only  shake  my  head. 

Then  the  motherly  voice  in  the  next 
breath  began  chiding  me.  I  believe  it  was 
about  the  brutality  of  football  and  the  rough- 
ness of  the  game  we  had  just  been  beaten. 
But  I  did  not  hear  her;  I  was  looking  up  at 
the  other  face,  and  I  think  I  must  have  been 
steadying  myself  by  clutching  on  to  the 
spokes  of  the  wheel.  A  moment  later  the 
wheel  moved,  and  both  faces  vanished. 

I  remember  but  little  more  of  that  sorrow- 
ful afternoon.  I  have  a  vague  idea  of  when 
I  climbed  into  the  bus.  They  insisted 
upon  helping  me,  and  I  would  not  let  them. 
Then  the  weeping  of  some  of  the  men,  the 
cursing  of  some,  and  the  silent  despair  of 
others  made  a  faint  impression  upon  me  as 
we  journeyed  back  from  the  field. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         113 

After  that,  I  have  little  recollection  of 
anything  until  I  found  myself  under  the 
doctor's  care  at  Belle  Monte  that  night. 
My  scattered  senses  had  been  rearranged, 
and  I  was  quite  myself  again,  though  feeling 
a  little  weak  and  battered. 

And  yet  they  say  that  football  is  a  rough 
and  dangerous  game,  the  fools.  If  I  had 
been  killed,  or  really  hurt,  they  might  have 
had  some  reason  to  talk. 

There  was  a  subdued  air  about  everything 
at  school  that  night,  an  air  to  which  Belle 
Monte  had  for  long  been  a  stranger.  I 
was  excused  from  study  hall,  but  the  doctor 
had  allowed  me  to  get  up  and  dress.  I 
hated  to  be  a  sick  man,  particularly  after  a 
game.  Besides,  I  was  not  so  badly  trimmed 
up,  either.  I  had  just  been  a  little  stunned. 
They  say  that  fellow,  Brown,  kicked  me  in 
the  head.  Well,  suppose  he  did.  When  a 
man  gets  damaged  by  dirty  work  like  that, 
his  hurts  cannot  be  blamed  on  football. 
There  was  a  very  good-sized  lump  on  my 
cranium  which  had  already  been  consider- 
ably reduced  with  crushed  ice.  But  what 


114         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

is  a  little  stunning?  Now  if  I  had  broken 
a  bone  they  might  have  had  reason  for 
argument. 

Lots  of  boys  dropped  in  to  see  me,  and 
before  study  hour  bell  rang  I  had  quite  a 
reception  in  my  room.  Of  course  everybody 
was  furious  over  the  defeat,  and  we  discussed 
it  very  heatedly. 

How  could  Ashville  have  gotten  hold  of 
those  signals  ?  That  was  the  great  question 
that  nonplussed  us  all. 

"  Well,"  said  Harkis,  decisively,  "  there  is 
but  one  way  for  it  to  have  happened." 

The  rest  of  us  paused,  and  I  forgot  my 
headache  for  the  moment. 

"  No  outsider  could  have  gotten  them 
while  we  were  at  work.  It  was  an  impos- 
sibility, because  we  have  always  been  very 
careful.  None  of  the  school  could  do  so, 
much  less  an  outsider.  So  it  leaves  only 
one  way  for  them  to  have  reached  Ashville, 
and  that  is  by  the  hands  of  a  traitor  on  the 
team." 

This  was  the  case  exactly,  and  every  one 
felt  it,  though  nobody  answered  at  first. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         115 

Nearly  all  of  the  team  were  in  my  room. 
We  looked  suspiciously  from  one  to  another. 

"  It's  a  case  for  a  court  of  inquiry,"  said 
Humphries,  the  politician,  finally. 

On  account  of  my  headache  I  was  lying 
upon  the  bed  again.  I  turned  around  on 
my  pillow,  and  thought  of  all  the  different 
members  of  the  team,  going  over  them  every 
one  carefully.  There  were  none,  to  my  way 
of  thinking,  about  whom  I  could  find  in  my 
heart  the  smallest  shadow  of  a  doubt.  A 
traitor  among  them  —  why,  it  is  entirely  im- 
possible !  Yet  the  facts  spoke  unmistakably. 
We  were  silent  for  some  moments,  when  at 
last  Moore  said :  "  Well,  something  ought  to 
be  done  about  it." 

"  I  tell  you,  it's  a  case  for  a  court  of  in- 
quiry," repeated  Humphries. 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  give  us  another 
game  ? "  continued  Moore,  wistfully,  to  me, 
as  he  seated  himself  on  the  edsre  of  the  bed. 

O 

I  told  him  that  I  was  afraid  they  would 
not ;  that  if  a  team  would  profit  by  such  a 
low  trick,  we  could  certainly  not  expect  a 
fair  chance  from  them. 


Il6         THE    SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  We  can  make  them  play,"  he  shouted, 
angrily.  "  They  cannot  claim  any  cham- 
pionship on  a  '  fluke'  like  that.  We  will  let 
it  be  known  to  every  school  in  the  State  how 
they  won.  We  will  make  them  the  laugh- 
ing-stock of  the  country.  We  will  show 
everybody  what  cowards  they  are,  if  they  do 
not  play  us." 

"  No,  we  won't  do  anything  of  the  kind," 
growled  Zell,  sarcastically.  "  They  will  give 
us  the  laugh,  that's  all.  Who  ever  listens  to 
claims  of  that  kind  ?  When  you  are  beat 
you  are  beat,  and  that  is  all  there  is  to  it." 

We  felt  the  truth  of  this,  and  none  of  us 
had  a  confident  or  hopeful  answer  to  make. 
A  strange  mixture  of  feelings  animated  that 
roomful  of  boys.  They  were  indignant,  sor- 
rowful, and  defiant,  by  quick  turns. 

Everybody  was  talking  at  once,  when  sud- 
denly Allen  appeared  in  the  doorway.  His 
strong  face  wore  the  most  singular  expres- 
sion, intensified  all  the  more  by  a  long 
scratch  across  his  forehead.  There  was  a 
lull  in  the  conversation.  He  paused  at 
the  door,  and  looked  eagerly  through  the 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         II? 

crowded  little  room.  Then,  as  a  shadow  of 
disappointment  flitted  across  his  face,  he 
turned  toward  me  where  I  lay  on  the  bed. 
He  seemed  about  to  speak,  but  hesitated, 
and  drew  his  hand  to  his  head. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Cap  ?  "  I  said,  spring- 
ing up,  "  what's  the  matter?  " 

"  You  ought  to  be  able  to  tell  me," 
he  answered,  after  a  moment,  "  where  — 
where  —  " 

Just  then  the  study  hall  bell  rang. 

"  Well,"  said  I,  as  he  paused  again. 

"I  —  I'll  see  you  later,  I'll  see  you  later," 
he  replied,  turning  away.  "  Haven't  got 
time  now, —  wait  till  after  study  hour." 

"  Wait ;  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  No,  not  now,  after  study  hour,"  and  he 
passed  on  down  the  walk  with  the  rest  of 
the  boys.  I  could  hear  the  others  question- 
ing him  as  they  disappeared  through  the 
dark  alley,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  be  giving 
them  any  answers.  When  they  were  quite 
out  of  ear-shot,  I  turned  into  my  room,  and 
threw  myself  back  on  the  bed  again,  won- 
dering what  had  come  over  our  usually 


Il8         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

dignified  captain.  I  could  not  guess  why 
he  had  acted  so  queerly,  unless  it  was  some- 
thing about  the  great  mystery  that  had  been 
Belle  Monte 's  undoing.  It  must  have  been 
something  of  that  kind,  but  what  ?  I  won- 
dered until  my  head,  which  had  almost 
ceased  aching,  began  to  throb  again.  What 
in  the  world  did  he  mean  ?  I  could  not 
even  frame  a  guess  for  the  life  of  me,  and  yet 
somewhere  in  my  mind  a  vague,  unnamed 
suspicion  lurked. 

'"You  ought  to  be  able  to  tell  me,  where  — 
where  —  '" 

What  did  he  want  to  know  ?  What  was  I 
able  to  tell  him  ?  It  seemed  all  dark  here, 
no  matter  how  I  might  look  at  it.  Still, 
there  was  that  half-formed  suspicion,  —  I 
feared  to  repeat  it  even  to  myself.  I  gave 
up  this  entirely  profitless  guesswork  busi- 
ness, and  tried  to  put  the  whole  question 
out  of  my  mind.  I  arose  from  the  bed  and 
took  out  my  Virgil.  It  might  be  best  to 
look  over  a  lesson  or  two,  even  though  ex- 
cused from  study  hour.  Somehow,  though, 
I  could  not  get  my  mind  on  the  translation. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         I  19 

I  found  myself  mixing  the  quarrel  of  Aga- 
memnon and  Achilles,  in  a  strange  manner, 
with  what  really  occupied  my  thoughts.  It 
was  something  like  this  : 

"'Go,'  he  said,  —  'you  can  tell  me'  — 
'  and  thy  myrmidons  '  —  what  could  I  tell 
him  ?  — '  with  thee.'  — '  Will  see  you  later.' 
What  — '  The  brow  of  Achilles  ' —  why  did 
he  put  me  off?  —  'grew  as  black  as  a 
thundercloud,' "  and  so  on,  until  I  gave  up 
in  disgust  trying  to  translate. 

I  threw  the  book  aside,  and  taking  up  my 
hat  went  out-of-doors.  The  fresh,  cool  night 
air  made  me  feel  better.  I  walked  down  the 
cinder  path,  through  the  rear  gate,  and  out 
upon  the  playground.  Try  as  I  might,  I 
could  not  shake  off  the  singular  suspicion 
that  hung  in  my  mind,  and  the  more  I 
wondered  about  Allen's  peculiar  behaviour, 
deeper  the  mystery  became.  I  continued  to 
turn  this  over  in  my  mind,  while  crossing 
the  hard  foot-beaten  field.  The  vague  sus- 
picion worried  me.  Somehow  it  made  me 
feel  sad.  A  playground  is  a  lonely,  deserted 
spot  on  a  dark  night.  Maybe  it  seems  the 


120         THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

more  so  by  contrast  to  what  it  is  during  the 
day.  There  was  the  hardened  gray  ground, 
the  fading  line  of  tall  white  fence,  and  then 
the  study  hall  window  lights  on  the  far  side, 
and  a  few  half-turned  ones  over  in  the 
dormitories.  It  gave  me  a  weird  and  un- 
canny feeling.  I  continued  my  way  in  the 
darkness  to  the  other  end  of  the  grounds, 
and  then  through  the  short  lane  which  led 
to  the  football  field.  Here,  leaning  against 
a  goal-post.  I  looked  out  over  the  big  rect- 
angle, with  its  faint  white  lines,  and  tried  to 
turn  my  mind  upon  the  afternoon's  battle. 
How  long  I  stood  there  I  do  not  know,  but 
it  was  the  town  clock  striking  half-past  nine 
which  aroused  me.  It  was  nearly  time  for 
study  hour  to  be  dismissed,  so  I  hurried  on 
back  to  the  hall.  The  "  time's  up  "  bell  rang 
just  as  I  reached  the  schoolhouse  door,  and 
I  stepped  into  a  sideway  to  wait  for  Allen. 
To  my  surprise,  the  usual  trample  of  feet 
did  not  follow  the  bell.  Everything  was  as 
quiet  as  a  church,  above.  A  moment  later, 
some  one  began  speaking,  and  I  thought  I 
recognised  Allen's  voice.  I  tiptoed  rapidly 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         121 

up  the  steps  and  stopped  in  the  corridor, 
near  the  open  door. 

"  —  to  tell  you  "  —  yes,  it  was  Allen  speak- 
ing—  "that  I  have  made  a  discovery  which 
puts  a  blot  upon  the  name  of  our  school." 
There  was  a  dead  pause.  Then  he  con- 
tinued :  "  There  have  been  many  boys  at 
Belle  Monte  who  have  disobeyed  rules  and 
customs,  as  Mr.  Landruff  can  testify." 
Even  at  the  present  tension  of  feeling  this 
brought  forth  a  faint  snicker,  which  in  its 
turn  produced  a  savage  rapping  of  the  ham- 
mer, and  I  could  see  old  'Ruff's  frown,  even 
though  there  was  a  brick  wall  between  us. 

"  Yes,"  said  Allen,  when  the  rapping 
ceased,  "  there  have  been  many  bad  boys, 
but  never  until  now  has  there  been  a  traitor 
in  this  school."  The  silence  was  complete 
again.  "We  were  beaten  to-day  on  a  'fluke,' 
so  it  is  said.  We  were  not.  We  were  beaten 
because  one  of  Belle  Monte's  team  gave  its 
signals  to  Ashville,  and  did  so  as  much  as 
two  days  before  the  game.  Further  than 
that,  I  know  who  did  it,  and  will  tell  you ! " 

There  was  a  ringing  shout,  and  a  quick 


122          THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

rumble  of  feet  on  the  floor.  The  whole 
school  had  sprung  up.  Old  'Ruff's  usually 
stern  presence  had  been  entirely  forgotten. 

But  why  did  I  not  rush  into  the  room, 
why  did  I  not  throw  myself  into  the  midst 
of  that  crowd,  and  be  one  of  them  ?  Instead 
of  going  toward  the  door,  I  shrank  from  it. 
Instead  of  being  swept  along  in  the  stream 
of  righteous  indignation,  I  was  seized  with 
terror.  The  vague  suspicion  in  my  mind 
had  grown  instantly  into  a  tangible  fact, 
with  each  link  of  evidence  leading  to  a 
conclusive  proof. 

"  I  have  a  letter  here,"  said  Allen's  voice, 
rising  again  to  a  high  pitch,  "from  some 
one  in  Ashville,  who  signs  himself  'fair 
play.'  It  should  have  been  delivered  to 
me  this  morning  before  we  went,  but,  most 
unfortunately,  it  was  mislaid.  It  reads, '  You 
have  no  chance  with  Ashville  unless  you 
change  your  signals.  They  have  all  been 
given  to  our  captain.  Thursday  afternoon 
a  Belle  Monte  boy  riding  a  wheel  passed 
through  Winchester  on  his  way  to  Ashville. 
He  must  have  decided  not  to  come  here, 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

though,  for  he  turned  back.  In  going 
through  Winchester  a  second  time  he  met 
Captain  Markham,  who  persuaded  him  to 
tell  the  signals.  Harry  Sulden  is  his  name, 
from  what  — ' ' 

I  could  hear  no  more,  for  the  terrible 
bellow  that  went  up  from  that  now  frenzied 
crowd. 

"Where  is  he,  —  where  is  he?"  they 
yelled. 

"  I  do  not  know,  I  cannot  find  him  in  the 
whole  school." 

"  He  was  excused  from  study  hour  to  go 
down-town.  He  is  about  back  in  his  room 
by  now,"  shouted  some  one.  I  believe,  in 
the  wild  confusion  of  sounds  that  followed 
immediately,  I  heard  old  'Ruff's  voice  shout 
out  something,  but  he  might  as  well  have 
talked  to  the  wind,  for  all  the  good  it  did. 

Should  I  warn  the  boy,  or  should  I  let 
the  crowd  have  him  ?  I  thought  of  his 
mother  and  sister,  and  for  once  turned  my 
back  on  Belle  Monte. 

When  I  reached  the  stairs,  there  upon  the 
topmost  step,  pale  and  trembling,  stood 


124          THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

Sulden  himself!  How  he  ever  came  to  be 
there  at  that  moment  I  do  not  know. 

"  What's  the  matter  ? "  he  asked,  in  a 
frightened  whisper  I  could  hear  even  above 
the  roar  from  behind. 

"  They  are  after  you,  for  giving  away  the 
signals !  Run  !  Go  to  your  room,  and  lock 
the  door  and  windows.  The  teachers  will 
protect  you,  you  miserable  hound ! "  I 
shouted  after  him.  I  don't  know  whether 
he  heard  this  last  or  not,  but  he  was  out 
of  the  schoolhouse  in  a  trice.  I  tried  to 
follow,  but,  confound  my  weakness,  I  sud- 
denly became  faint  and  dizzy,  and  was  forced 
to  pause  a  minute  by  the  side  of  the  fence 
to  steady  myself. 

The  crowd  swept  out  into  the  yard  with 
a  rush,  and  across  the  playground  or  through 
the  various  alleyways  toward  the  dormi- 
tories. Old  'Ruff  was  struggling  right  in 
their  midst,  shouting  at,  and  even  cursing 
them,  but  to  no  avail.  If  he  tried  to  stop 
one  boy,  he  was  immediately  jostled  and 
almost  run  over  by  others  from  behind.  I 
saw  at  least  twenty  fellows  snatch  palings 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.          125 

off  the  front  fence  right  before  his  eyes, 
which  crime  had  always  been  highly  pun- 
ishable. It  was  no  organised  school  under 
rules  now,  but  an  enraged  mob.  I  heard 
several  of  the  older  boys  giving  commands 
for  surrounding  the  whole  place.  Every 
one  seemed  maddened  and  desperate. 

I  could  not  move  I  was  so  weak,  and 
faint,  but  only  clung  to  the  fence,  waiting 
for  that  peculiar  reeling  sensation  in  my 
head  to  pass  off. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  him  ? " 
piped  out  the  shrill  voice  of  a  youngster 
near  me,  who  had  just  taken  advantage  of 
the  general  uprising,  and  was  enjoying  the 
rare  privilege  of  wrenching  a  paling  off  the 
fence. 

"  Duck  him  ! "  shouted  another  boy,  as  he 
disappeared  down  one  of  the  alleys. 

"  Duck  him,  the  devil !  "  growled  an  older 
voice  from  the  darkness  beyond,  "  lynch 
him ! " 

I  was  in  great  fear  for  Sulden's  safety,  and 
a  moment  later,  when  feeling  a  little  better, 
I  ran  as  quickly  as  possible  toward  his  room. 


126         THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

I  found  the  alley  and  porch  jammed  with  an 
excited  crowd.  Two  boys  with  baseball  bats 
were  battering  at  the  door,  though  there  was 
scarcely  room  to  swing  them,  the  others 
pressed  around  so  closely.  With  some 
difficulty  I  pushed  my  way  through. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ? "  I  said, 
crowding  in  between  the  boys  at  work  on 
the  door,  and  pressing  them  back.  They 
were  both  good  friends  of  mine,  ordinarily, 
but  did  not  show  it  now. 

"What  do  you  think  we  are  doing?" 
snarled  one. 

"  What's  come  over  you  all  of  a  sudden  ?  " 
said  the  other.  "  Get  out  of  the  way,  or  you'll 
be  hit." 

Somebody  caught  me  by  the  coat  from 
behind  and  pulled  me  backward.  I  freed 
myself  with  a  struggle  and  pushed  back  to 
the  door  again.  Many  hands  were  now  laid 
upon  me  at  once,  and  before  I  could  defend 
myself  I  was  overpowered. 

The  door  would  have  been  knocked  from 
its  hinges  a  moment  later  had  not  almost 
every  teacher  in  school  arrived  suddenly  on 


"THE   DOOR    WOULD    HAVE   BEEN    KNOCKED   FROM   ITS 
HINGES." 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK-         129 

the  scene.  It  seems  that  old  'Ruff  had  given 
up  in  despair  of  stopping  the  crowd,  and 
gone  after  the  others.  Mr.  Mathews  was 
first  there.  He  bucked  right  in,  football 
fashion,  and  ploughed  his  way  through. 
"  Cap'n "  himself  and  several  others  fol- 
lowed close  behind.  The  now  shattered 
door  would  have  given  away  to  another 
blow,  but  the  boys  working  on  it  desisted 
upon  the  teachers'  appearance. 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  shouted  the  "  Cap'n," 
above  the  sound  of  other  voices,  now  sunk 
to  a  murmur,  "  Are  you  going  to  turn  my 
school  into  a  mob  of  thugs  and  cutthroats  ? 
Are  you  going  to  tear  down  the  houses  ? 
You  will  be  setting  fire  to  them  next.  Get 
back  to  your  dormitories  !  " 

"  Cap'n  "  had  been  shaking  every  boy  he 
could  lay  his  hands  on,  and  there  was  a  gen- 
eral loosening  up  of  the  crowd  around  him. 
In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Mathews  had  pushed 
his  way  through  to  the  door.  The  two  boys 
with  bats,  on  seeing  him  coming,  had  lost  all 
courage  and  dodged  back  into  the  crowd. 

O  O 

Mob   feeling,  that    ran   so   high   a  moment 


130         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

before,  was  now  completely  quelled  by  the 
energetic  actions  of  the  teachers.  Still 
there  was  lots  of  honest  indignation  burn- 
ing within  the  boys'  breasts.  They  doggedly 
refused  to  move  at  "  Cap'n's  "  commands. 

Several  teachers  had  now  reached  the 
porch  and  forced  all  the  boys  from  it,  so  all 
danger  of  violence  to  Sulden  was  passed. 

"  Is  Sulden  in  there  ? "  asked  old  'Ruff, 
breathlessly,  of  me. 

"  Yes,  he  is,"  I  answered ;  "  I  heard  the 
crowd  coming,  and  managed  to  warn  him." 

Old  'Ruff  did  not  hear  this  last.  He  had 
out  his  little  book  and  was  jotting  down 
names  at  a  great  rate.  This  was  a  glorious 
ingathering  of  offenders  for  him.  I  managed 
to  glance  over  his  shoulder,  and  saw  my 
name  first  on  the  list. 

"  Cap'n  "  now  spoke  from  the  porch  steps. 

"  What  means  this  outbreak  ?  "  he  asked, 
in  a  voice  filled  with  anger.  Old  'Ruff  had 
not  told  him  the  cause  of  the  trouble. 
"  What  am  I  to  understand  from  such  a 
thing  ?  Are  you  all  lunatics  ?  " 

"  It  means,"  answered  Allen,  firmly,  "  that 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         13! 

this  boy,  Sulden,  was  traitor  enough  to  give 
our  signals  away  to  Ashville,  merely  because 
he  was  not  selected  to  play  quarterback,  and 
we  have  lost  the  championship  of  the  State 
by  it."  There  was  a  harsh  echo  of  approval 
from  the  crowd. 

"  I  am  surprised  at  you,  Allen,  to  have 
taken  a  hand  in  such  a  disturbance,  what- 
ever may  be  its  cause,"  "  Cap'n  "  answered, 
"  but  how  do  you  know  Sulden  did  this  ?  " 

"  Here,"  said  Allen,  "  read  this,"  and  he 
handed  him  the  letter. 

After  "Cap'n"  had  adjusted  his  spectacles 
and  read  the  missive  by  the  faint  glow  of 
the  alleyway  lamp,  I  think  his  manner  was 
rather  more  kindly  toward  us.  He  had  been 
a  boy  himself,  "Cap'n"  had,  and  he  could 
realise  our  feelings. 

"  I  can  understand  why  you  all  should  be 
provoked,"  he  said,  finally,  "  but  you  have 
gone  too  far.  Every  one  must  go  to  his 
room  now.  Mr.  Landruff,  see  that  they  are 
all  in  their  rooms  in  five  minutes.  I  will 
investigate  this  matter." 

"  But,  '  Cap'n,' "  said  Allen,  as  the  crowd 


132         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

still  hesitated,  "he  cannot  stay  here.  Sulden 
cannot  stay  in  this  school.  He  will  have  to 
go."  To  these  bold  words,  which  surprised 
us  all,  though  still  expressed  our  sentiments, 
"  Cap'n "  answered,  without  the  slightest 
particle  of  sternness  or  anger  in  his  tone : 

"  I  have  the  matter  in  charge  now.  It 
shall  be  investigated  and  disposed  of  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  school,  though  if  he  has 
done  what  you  say,  he  certainly  deserves  ex- 
pulsion. See  that  every  one  is  in  promptly, 
Mr.  Landruff." 

In  this  manner  was  the  famous  mob  dis- 
persed. It  has  ever  since  been  looked  upon 
as  one  of  the  greatest  exploits  of  the  school, 
and  older  boys  now,  who  were  youngsters 
then,  never  fail  to  draw  a  crowd  of  auditors 
when  they  tell  of  it.  In  this  way,  also,  did 
the  case  of  Sulden,  as  it  might  have  been 
expressed  in  my  Latin  reader,  "pass  from 
a  cause  of  the  people  to  a  cause  of  the 
rulers." 

While  "Cap'n"  had  been  talking  to  the 
crowd,  Mr.  Mathews  made  Sulden  open  the 
door.  I  managed  to  slip  by  the  other 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         133 

teachers  and  follow  him  into  the  room. 
Instead  of  finding  Sulden  hiding  under 
the  bed,  he  was  in  an  attitude  of  defence 
behind  it,  with  the  table  and  chairs  piled 
in  front  of  him.  Even  then  it  made  me 
feel  glad  to  see  that  he  had  shown  this 
much  spirit,  if  he  had  been  a  traitor.  Mr. 
Mathews  soon  told  him  that  there  was  no 
cause  for  fear,  though  he  did  not  seem  in 
any  particular  hurry  to  leave  his  improvised 
fortress. 

"  Sulden,"  said  Mr.  Mathews,  with  a  severe 
look  on  his  usually  genial  face,  "you  have 
done  your  schoolfellows  a  great  wrong,  for 
which  I  don't  believe  they  can  ever  forgive 
you." 

I  could  not  help  feeling  the  smallest 
particle  sorry  for  him  then,  no  matter  what 
he  had  done,  for  here  he  was,  just  one  boy, 
surrounded  by  so  many  enemies.  At  that 
moment  there  was  no  other  name  in  the 
mouths  of  all  the  school  but  his,  and  I  am 
sure  no  one  had  a  single  word  of  good  to 
say  for  him.  I  was  such  a  fool,  too,  for 
allowing  this  weakness  to  get  the  best  of  me. 


134          THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

Sulden  dropped  his  eyes  before  Mr. 
Mathews's  look  for  a  moment,  and  then 
answered,  doggedly,  "  What  have  I  done  ?  " 

"  What  have  you  done ! "  repeated  Mr. 
Mathews,  indignantly,  "  you  know  well 
enough  what  you  have  done.  You  know 
you  gave  the  signals  to  Ashville." 

"  I  didn't  do  anything  of  the  kind,"  but  he 
looked  the  lie  he  spoke. 

"  You  did,  though,"  I  replied,  hotly,  for- 
getting my  sympathy.  "  You  know  well 
enough  I  met  you  coming  back  from  there 
on  the  road,  Thursday  night.  You  dodged 
around  the  lamp,  to  keep  me  from  recognis- 
ing you ! " 

He  turned  a  shade  paler,  I  think,  but  he 
answered,  still  sullenly,  "  No,  I  didn't." 

"  You  are  a  liar !  "  I  shouted,  but  instantly 
regretted  my  rash  speech,  for  the  look  that 
Mr.  Mathews  turned  upon  me. 

It  was  all  settled  shortly  afterward. 
"Cap'n"  came  into  the  room  as  soon  as 
the  boys  and  other  teachers  had  gone.  He 
asked  Sulden  about  it  so  quietly,  and,  though 
he  could  get  nothing  but  brusque  denials 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         135 

at  first,  he  talked  to  him  in  such  a  kindly, 
gentle  way  that  soon  the  poor  boy  broke 
down,  crying,  and  confessed  everything.  As 
for  myself,  I  had  much  ado  to  keep  back 
some  confounded  tears,  while  Mr.  Mathews 
turned  away  to  the  door  and  whistled,  rather 
loudly,  I  thought. 

"  Sulden,"  said  "  Cap'n,"  finally,  in  a  fa- 
therly tone  of  regret,  "  you  cannot  stay  here. 
I  will  have  to  send  you  away." 

"  Oh,  '  Cap'n,' "  and  the  poor  boy  was 
wrung  with  such  a  sob  that  it  seemed  as  if 
his  heart  was  breaking,  "  if  —  if  —  you  would 
only  let  this  go  —  I  will  never,  never — do 
so  again  !  I  will  —  I  will  —  "  but  he  could 
not  speak  further. 

"  Cap'n  "  removed  his  tall  hat,  and,  resting 
it  on  his  knee,  he  shook  his  gray  head  sadly. 

"  No,  no,"  he  answered,  in  a  tone  of  such 
gentle  sorrow  that  I  was  forced  to  clinch 
my  teeth  tightly,  "  it  is  not  I,  Sulden.  I 
could  let  you  stay.  But  all  the  boys,  —  they 
can  never  forgive  you;  and  if  you  tried  to 
stay  here  among  them  your  life  would  be  a 
burden  to  you.  You  will  have  to  go." 


136         THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

There  was  not  another  word  spoken  by 
any  of  us  for  fully  an  hour.  Sulden  sat 
with  his  face  buried  in  his  hands,  trying  to 
control  his  grief.  I  was  sitting  on  a  trunk 
at  the  other  side  of  the  room,  doing  my  best 
to  keep  the  tears  out  of  my  eyes,  but  suc- 
ceeding very  poorly.  Mr.  Mathews  stood 
by  the  door,  gazing  out  into  the  darkness ; 
and  "  Cap'n  "  —  why,  I  think  "  Cap'n  "  must 
have  been  praying.  He  was  sitting  with  his 
chin  resting  in  one  hand  and  his  eyes  on 
the  floor. 

Finally  Mr.  Mathews  looked  at  his  watch, 
and  the  spell  of  silence  which  had  fallen 
over  us  was  broken.  "  Cap'n "  rose  hur- 
riedly when  he  learned  that  it  was  eleven 
o'clock. 

"  Sulden,"  he  said,  as  he  turned  to  go, 
"you  had  better  stay  in  your  room  to-mor- 
row morning  until  I  come  over  here.  I  will 
have  to  see  "  (did  I  catch  a  faint  quaver  in 
the  "  Cap'n 's  "  tone  ?)  "  your  mother  first  and 
make  the  necessary  arrangements.  You  had 
better  get  to  bed  now,  both  of  you  boys," 
and  he  and  Mr.  Mathews  passed  on  out. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         137 

We  continued  to  sit  in  silence  for  some 
minutes.  At  length  I  arose  from  the  trunk. 

"  Harry,"  I  said,  "  I  will  have  to  go  to  bed 
now."  I  would  like  to  have  said  something 
consoling,  but  for  the  life  of  me  I  could  not 
have  thought  of  anything. 

"  Oh,  John,"  he  cried,  brokenly,  with  his 
face  still  in  his  hands,  "  what  shall  I  do  ? 
what  will  they  say  ?  how  can  I  ever  tell 
mother  ?  what  will  she  think  ?  " 

That  was  the  weight  which  had  borne 
down  upon  me  so  heavily  for  two  hours 
past. 

Ah,  yes,  what  would  his  mother  think, 
and  —  his  sister,  too ! 

As  I  left  Sulden's  room,  the  realisation  of 
what  it  all  would  mean  came  upon  me  with 
overwhelming  force.  I  paused  for  a  moment 
in  the  dark  alleyway,  to  fight  it  out  with 
my  own  feelings.  Oh,  I  did  not  know  what 
to  do,  I  knew  not  which  way  to  turn.  On 
one  side  was  the  traitor  who  had  robbed  us 
of  what  we  held  so  dear.  But  on  the  other 
were  his  mother  and  sister,  who,  though 
entirely  innocent,  would  be  the  great  suffer- 


138          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

ers.  I  would  do  anything  to  save  them ;  but 
here  was  the  other  staring  me  in  the  face. 
How  could  I  shut  my  eyes  to  it?  Sympathy 
for  the  boy  himself  left  me  as  suddenly  as  it 
came,  the  moment  I  lost  sight  of  his  grief. 

I  tried  to  clear  my  mind  of  all  these  con- 
tending thoughts.  I  was  doing  my  best  to 
see  where  my  path  should  be.  I  paused 
long  and  pondered.  Yes,  plain  duty  had 
swung  around,  compasslike,  and  was  mark- 
ing out  my  course. 

Then  and  there  I  stood  and  declared  for 
Sulden.  Ten  minutes  before,  such  a  thing 
would  have  been  impossible.  But  ah,  it 
had  cost  me  a  struggle,  and  the  struggle 
was  not  yet  over ;  far  from  it. 

Now  that  I  had  made  up  my  mind,  there 
was  nothing  I  would  not  do  to  prevent  his 
expulsion.  What  a  stinging  disgrace  I 
knew  it  would  be  to  Mrs.  Sulden  and 
Evelyn !  I  just  could  not  bear  to  think  of 
it.  They  would  never  get  over  it.  The 
boy's  life  would  be  ruined  —  the  stain 
would  rest  on  him  for  ever.  But  what  did 
I  care  for  him! 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         139 

Harkis  and  myself  argued  the  whole 
question  over  as  I  was  preparing  for  bed. 
Naturally  enough,  he  was  very  bitter  against 
Sulden.  I  could  not  blame  him  or  any  one 
else  in  school  for  that  feeling. 

"  But,"  I  expostulated,  "  it  will  give  the 
poor  boy  a  false  start  in  life.  It  is  bad 
enough  as  it  stands,  and  if  expulsion  is 
added,  he  will  go  straight  to  the  devil." 

"  What  do  we  care  how  much  it  might 
ruin  him  ?  See  what  he's  done  for  us. 
Hasn't  he  ruined  us  ? " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  hotly,  for  I  felt  the 
deep  humiliation  of  that  defeat  as  much  as 
any  one,  "  he  did  betray  us.  But  then,"  I 
continued,  trying  to  take  up  the  other  side 
of  the  question  with  more  calmness,  "  there 
is  something  else  to  be  considered  besides 
Belle  Monte 's  glory." 

To  save  my  life,  I  don't  believe  I  could 
have  admitted  such  a  thing  to  myself,  much 
less  spoken  it  out  loud,  except  for  the  others. 
The  wretched  condition  of  Sulden  himself 
made  no  appeal  to  me,  and  I  would  not 
have  turned  on  my  heel  to  try  and  help 


140         THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

him.  Why,  think  of  the  wrong  he  had  done 
us !  He  had  blasted  our  high  hopes  of  two 
years.  No,  there  was  no  chanty  in  my 
heart  for  such  a  boy.  I  am  sure  there  was 
not,  even  though  he  was  without  sympathy, 
and  had  concentrated  upon  him  the  wrath 
of  the  whole  school.  No,  he  did  not  appeal 
to  me  —  I  don't  think  he  did. 

But  it  seemed  such  a  terrible  punishment 
to  put  upon  his  mother  and  sister, —  why,  in 
his  whole  life  they  could  never  lose  sight  of  it. 
I  hardly  believe  it  was  any  deep-set  element 
of  malice  which  made  him  betray  Belle 
Monte.  Then,  too,  there  was  the  extenua- 
ting circumstance  of  his  having  turned  back 
to  school  and  telling  what  he  did  only  after 
he  had  been  persuaded  by  his  cousin.  Mark- 
ham  just  took  advantage  of  the  boy's  fool- 
ish pride,  that's  all.  Oh,  it  was  nothing 
but  mere  weakness.  The  boy  was  spoiled. 
Yes,  and  for  this  his  mother  may  have  been 
to  blame.  But  because  her  indulgent  love 
might  have  led  him  to  be  a  traitor,  should 
we  fix  upon  them  both  an  unending  punish- 
ment ?  This  is  what  his  expulsion  meant. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         141 

Why,  he  was  only  a  young  boy;  a  foolish, 
spoiled  boy,  whose  character  was  no  more 
formed  than  his  muscular  development. 
Were  he  struck  this  blow  now,  it  would  give 
his  whole  life  a  downward  turn,  from  which 
he  might  never  have  strength  enough  to  rise. 

Could  I  see  him  gone,  lost,  ruined,  and 
his  mother  at  last  broken-hearted,  —  and  his 
sister?  In  the  face  of  this,  how  could  the 
students  of  Belle  Monte  mistake  their  duty? 

"  Yes,  Pete,"  I  said,  "  there  is  something 
else  for  us  to  consider  in  this  besides  Belle 
Monte's  honour  and  glory." 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  Harkis  asked,  scornfully. 

"  Why,  can't  you  see  that  if  the  boy  is 
expelled,  it  will  make  his  disgrace  complete  ? 
He  will  never  recover  from  it,  —  and  look 
what  it  will  mean  to  his  family." 

"  Doesn't  he  deserve  it  all,  and  more  too  ? 
What  do  we  care  for  his  family?  They 
ought  to  have  taught  him  better ! "  The 
little  fellow  jumped  up.  "  Oh,  John,  I  did 
not  mean  that—  I  did  not  think  —  I  did  not 
mean  that."  A  moment  later  he  added, 
"  But  even  with  that  considered,  I  hardly 


142          THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

see  how  you  can  feel  as  you  do.  Don't  you 
realise  how  much  the  defeat  means  to  us?" 

"  I  do  as  much  as  any  one,  but  if  you  were 
in  my  place  you  would  feel  and  act  as  I  do. 
I  am  going  to  ask  to-morrow  that  Sulden 
be  allowed  to  remain  in  school,  and  that 
the  matter  be  dropped.  I  will  first  ask  the 
'Cap'n'  about  it  —  " 

"  But  he  has  practically  decided  with  the 
school." 

"  Then  I  will  put  the  question  to  the 
boys.  Now,  Pete,"  I  continued,  "  if  you 
are  a  friend  of  mine,  I  want  you  to  aid 
me  in  this." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  are 
going  to  be  so  foolish  as  to  really  try? 
You  are  not  only  attempting  something 
impossible,  but  you  are  putting  yourself  in 
an  awfully  bad  light.  Help  you  ?  I  don't 
see  how  I  can,  and  do  what  is  right." 

"  Oh,  Pete,  you  do  not  see  it  in  the  right 
way.  Consider  it  from  my  side.  Here  is 
his  mother  —  and  his  sister." 

The  little  fellow  hesitated  long.  "  I'll  tell 
you  what  I'll  do,"  he  said,  finally.  "If  it 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         143 

comes  to  a  vote  before  the  school  I'll  be  for 
letting  him  stay,  though  not  because  I  think 
he  ought.  But,  pshaw,  my  say  is  not  a  drop 
in  the  bucket." 

"  I  don't  like  to  accept  such  unwilling 
support,  Pete,  but  as  it  is  for  the  right  I 
will  do  so." 

We  discussed  the  question  long  and 
earnestly,  but  Harkis  remained  fixed  in  his 
opinion. 

I  was  determined  to  have  it  all  settled 
immediately.  I  could  not  think  of  waiting 
until  Monday.  My  plan  was  to  have  the 
school  assemble  in  study  hall  after  break- 
fast and  before  church  hour. 

So  I  was  out  early  the  next  morning  in 
order  to  make  the  required  arrangements. 
Of  course  to  get  "  Cap'n's "  consent  was 
the  first  important  step.  Somehow  I  felt 
that  this  would  not  be  difficult. 

After  leaving  my  room,  the  first  thing  I 
did  was  to  step  across  the  alley  to  see 
Sulden.  Though  the  rising-bell  had  not 
yet  been  sounded  I  found  him  already  up. 
The  first  sight  of  him  turned  me  bitterly 


144         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

against  him,  it  brought  back  with  such  a 
sharp  force  what  he  had  done,  and  its  terri- 
ble consequences  of  the  day  before.  For 
this  reason  being  unable  to  greet  him  civilly, 
I  refrained  from  greeting  him  at  all.  But 
when  I  noticed  his  red  and  swollen  eyes  and 
the  look  of  intense  pain  upon  his  face,  I  took 
a  little  comfort  in  the  fact  that  I  was  trying 
to  aid  him. 

He  said  nothing,  and  after  a  pause  I  spoke. 

"  Would  you  still  stay  here  if  the  school 
allowed  you  ? " 

I  had  my  back  turned  to  him  and  was 
looking  out  of  the  window. 

"Oh,  yes,  —  do  you  think  there  is  any 
chance  —  any  hope  ?  Why,  John,  I  can  never 
go  home.  I  can  never  look  my  mother  in 
the  face  again." 

To  keep  him  from  even  suspecting  just 
how  I  really  felt,  I  continued,  sternly,  "  Do 
you  think  you  would  ever  do  anything  like 
that  again  ?  Do  you  think  you  will  learn 
any  self-control  from  this  ?  Do  you  —  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  he  cried,  eagerly,  "  oh,  yes. 
But  will  they  really  give  me  any  chance  ? 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.          145 

Will  they  let  me  stay?  If  they  only 
will  —  " 

He  had  caught  me  by  the  arm,  but  I 
pushed  him  away,  and  continued,  "  Do  you 
think  you  can  stand  the  life  which  you  will 
be  bound  to  lead  if  you  stay  in  Belle 
Monte?  Do  you  think  you  can  endure 
the  scorn  and  the  curses,  and  maybe  even 
blows,  from  nearly  every  boy  in  school  ? " 

There  was  no  hesitation  in  his  answer, 
which  to  me  at  least  made  a  point  in  his 
favour.  "  Anything,  anything !  "  he  cried, 
putting  his  hands  to  his  face.  "  All  that 
and  more  too.  I  deserve  it  every  bit,  and 
more.  I  only  ask  for  a  chance,  —  but  will 
they  give  it  to  me  ?  " 

I  drew  a  step  farther  away  from  him. 

"  I  cannot  tell,  —  they  are  now  in  a  terrible 
rage  at  the  very  thought  of  you.  But  I  am 
going  to  try  —  to  try  and  get  their  consent 
to  your  remaining." 

"  John,"  he  exclaimed,  coming  close  to  me 
again,  confound  him,  "  will  you  —  do  you 
think  you  can  ?  Oh,  if  you  only  could,  I 
I  would  —  would  be  so  —  " 


146         THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  Don't  think,"  I  answered,  in  as  brusque 
a  tone  as  I  could  command,  and  starting  to 
go,  "  that  I  am  doing  this  for  you.  If  it 
were  not  for  your  mother,  I  would  not  lift 
a  finger  to  help  you." 

But  I  felt  a  sharp  pang  of  regret  for  this, 
because,  as  the  door  was  closing  behind  me, 
he  called  out,  "  I  don't  care  what  becomes 
of  me  if  they  will  let  me  stay,  —  if  they  only 
will ! " 

Oh,  if  they  only  would ! 

His  was  a  changed  state,  indeed.  I 
thought  the  smallest  bit  better  of  him  for 
showing  as  much  anxiety  as  he  did  to  keep 
his  disgrace  from  his  mother  and  sister. 
Then,  too,  he  showed  that  he  had  pluck 
enough  about  him  to  stick  it  out  at  Belle 
Monte,  if  he  was  but  allowed  to  stay;  and 
gameness,  you  know,  in  the  opinion  of  some 
foolish  fellows  like  myself,  is  an  offset  to 
many  shortcomings. 

From  Sulden's  room  I  went  to  "  Cap'n's  " 
study.  He  was  always  there  on  Sunday 
mornings,  preparing  the  lesson  he  taught 
his  Bible  class  later  in  the  day. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         147 

"  You  are  out  early  this  morning,  Wil- 
kins,"  he  said,  when  after  his  response  to  my 
knock  I  had  entered.  "  Has  the  rising-bell 
rung  yet  ? " 

"  I  hardly  believe  it  has,  sir." 

I  paused,  standing  by  his  desk,  while 
"  Cap'n  "  leaned  forward  and  stirred  the  fire. 
Though  I  was  about  to  speak  upon  a  doubt- 
ful point,  still  I  did  not  feel  at  all  embar- 
rassed. "  Cap'n,"  bless  him,  was  the  most 
approachable  man  in  the  world,  and,  I  ex- 
pect, the  most  considerate. 

When  he  leaned  back  in  his  revolving 
chair  again,  he  glanced  up  inquiringly. 

" '  Cap'n,' "  I  said,  "  I  came  to  see  you 
about  Harry  Sulden,  if  you  have  time."  I 
believe  he  had  already  guessed  something  of 
the  kind,  for  he  did  not  seem  surprised. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  he  asked,  in  a  deeply 
interested  tone. 

Now,  I  am  the  most  awkward  fellow  in 
the  world  for  introducing  a  difficult  subject, 
but  I  felt  there  was  no  occasion  then  to 
measure  words  on  this  topic,  so  I  just  spoke 
right  out. 


148         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  the  boy  expelled, 
'  Cap'n,'  indeed  I  don't.  Why,  his  mother 
would  never  get  over  the  disgrace  of  it.  I 
feel  the  injury  he  has  done  us  as  much  as 
anybody  in  school,  —  but  —  expel  him,  and 
he  will  go  to  the  dogs."  I  hesitated  for  very 
surprise  at  my  own  outspokenness.  "  Not 
that  I  care  for  him,"  I  continued,  hastily. 
"  How  could  I,  after  what  has  passed  ?  But 
you  know,  sir,  what  the  ruination  of  him 
would  mean  to  his  family." 

"  Cap'n  "  was  looking  into  the  fire. 

"You  are  right,  Wilkins,"  he  said;  "it  is 
distressing  from  every  point  of  view,  but  I 
don't  see  how  he  could  remain  here  in  spite 
of  the  bitter  feeling  against  him,  even  though 
I  should  refuse  to  expel  him.  I  hardly  know 
just  what  to  do,"  added  "  Cap'n,"  in  a  worried 
tone,  rising  from  his  chair  and  taking  a  turn 
or  two  about  the  room.  "  They  are  always 
doing  something  outrageous,  getting  them- 
selves into  some  impossible,  unheard-of 
tangle,"  he  continued,  with  an  impatient 
half -gesture  in  the  direction  of  the  dormi- 
tories. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

I  hated  to  worry  the  "  Cap'n,"  but  this 
was  a  case  of  necessity. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  it,"  he 
said,  "  that  the  boy  deserves  severe  punish- 
ment for  the  contemptible  spirit  that  he 
has  shown.  But  to  expel  him,  and  be  con- 
fronted with  all  this  other  side  of  the  ques- 
tion, puts  a  more  serious  light  on  it.  The 
truth  of  the  business  is,  Wilkins,  there  are 
a  dozen  boys  in  school  I  would  rather  expel 
than  Sulden.  I  do  not  take  him  to  be  a  bad, 
but  a  weak  boy."  The  "  Cap'n  "  had  put  the 
whole  case  so  clearly  and  concisely,  just  as  I 
regarded  it.  "  But  the  school  has  made  such 
a  clamour,"  he  said,  finally,  "  that  to  expel 
him  may  be  the  best  way  out  of  it,  after  all." 

" '  Cap'n,' "  I  asked,  "  would  you  consent 
to  his  staying,  if  the  school  did  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course  I  would,  Wilkins,  quick 
enough,  but  I  rather  committed  myself  last 
night.  Besides,  it  is  my  candid  opinion  that 
the  school  should  settle  this  for  itself.  The 
offence  is  against  the  spirit  of  the  school, 
—  no  violation  of  any  rule." 

"  I  have  thought  of  all  that,  '  Cap'n,' "  I 


150         THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

answered,  eagerly,  "  and  I  have  come  to  ask 
that  you  allow  me  to  try  and  gain  the  con- 
sent of  the  school." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  can  try,"  said  the  "  Cap'n," 
shaking  his  head  gravely ;  "  but  after  what 
happened  last  night  it  will  do  no  good,  I  am 
sure." 

"  It  might,"  I  said,  "  though  I'll  admit  that 
I  do  not  feel  very  hopeful.  What  I  want  is 
to  have  the  school  assemble  after  breakfast 
in  study  hall.  Then  if  you  could  speak  to 
the  boys  —  " 

"  No,  Wilkins,  I  cannot  do  that.  If  the 
school  of  its  own  accord  consents  to  Sul- 
den's  remaining,  all  well  and  good ;  but,  even 
as  much  as  I  would  like  to  see  the  boy  stay, 
neither  my  assistants  nor  myself  can  take 
any  active  part  in  the  matter.  I  think  it  best 
to  abide  by  whatever  the  school  decides." 
I  felt  the  entire  justice  of  what  "  Cap'n  "  had 
said.  "  You  must  do  what  you  can,"  he 
continued,  "  if  you  intend  to  follow  up  your 
idea.  Put  it  to  the  vote  fairly.  I  will  have 
Mr.  Landruff  assemble  the  school  after 
breakfast.  You  had  better  get  the  presi- 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         151 

dent  of  the  athletic  association  to  pre- 
side." 

"  I  think  that  would  be  best,  sir."' 

"  You  might  see  some  of  your  friends 
before  the  school  is  assembled,  too." 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,  I  know,  I  will."  I  under- 
stood that  part  all  right,  but  the  speech- 
making  was  what  I  dreaded.  I  had  made 
set  speeches  in  declamation  class,  though 
never  any  other  kind.  The  thought  of 
facing  the  whole  school,  when  so  much 
depended  on  my  words,  made  me  weak  with 
fear.  I  had  begun  to  realise  the  great  diffi- 
culty of  my  task.  "Cap'n"  must  have 
understood  what  was  passing  in  my  mind, 
for  he  shook  his  head  doubtfully,  and  said : 

"  You  have  a  hard  job  before  you,  Wil- 
kins,  though  it  may  not  be  an  impossible 
one." 

After  leaving  the  study  I  turned  in  the 
direction  of  Allen's  room.  Here  I  had  a 
long  and,  at  times,  a  heated  discussion  with 
him  and  the  two  Briggs',  who  were  his  room- 
mates. At  first  none  of  the  three  would 
even  listen  to  me,  especially  the  Briggs'. 


152         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

Allen  finally  said  he  would  think  it  over, 
though  he  still  felt  very  bitter  about  it  all, 
—  an  extraordinary  state  of  mind  for  him. 
The  strong  argument  with  him  was  Sulden's 
mother  and  sister.  You  doubtless  under- 
stand that  Allen  in  spirit  was  as  gallant  and 
chivalrous  a  knight  as  ever  in  the  old  days 
took  the  part  of  the  weak  and  defenceless. 
But  he  was  also  intensely  loyal  to  Belle 
Monte.  The  Briggs'  laughed  me  to  scorn, 
and  so  I  left  not  very  much  reassured. 

I  next  went  to  look  for  Humphries,  and 
found  him  in  the  library.  He  became  bit- 
terly sarcastic  when  I  introduced  the  subject. 
He  wondered  at  my  "  intense  interest  in  so 
thoroughly  an  unworthy  cause  "  in  such  a 
provoking  manner  that  I  had  a  good  deal  to 
do  to  keep  my  temper.  You  see,  I  was  so 
miserably  awkward  in  bringing  up  the  sub- 
ject, and  particularly  with  an  unsympathetic 
fellow  like  Humphries,  that  I  did  my  cause 
more  harm  than  good.  A  sure-enough 
quarrel  would  have  ruined  our  chances,  so 
far  as  he  was  concerned,  had  not  the  break- 
fast call  cut  short  our  colloquy. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         153 

I  felt  by  no  means  encouraged  over  the 
start  I  had  made  in  "  influencing "  the 
school.  A  rumour  of  my  attempt  had 
gotten  out  among  the  boys,  for  many  were 
the  dark  looks  turned  in  my  direction 
during  breakfast. 

When  I  left  the  hall  I  started  toward 
Sulden's  room  to  let  him  know  how  matters 
stood,  but,  after  going  a  few  steps,  changed 
my  mind.  I  don't  think  it  would  have  done 
me  any  good  to  see  him  at  that  moment. 
So  I  returned  and  lingered  near  the  dining- 
hall  door  to  speak  to  some  of  my  friends  as 
they  came  out.  I  urged  the  question  upon 
Engle,  and  even  he  objected.  He  said, 
though,  he  would  wait  and  see  how  the 
school  took  it.  If  it  was  close,  he  would 
not  let  his  vote  turn  it  against  Sulden. 
This  was  cold  comfort,  and  I  told  him 
that  I  was  not  after  his  vote  so  much  as 
the  influence  of  his  example.  He  did  not 
see  how  he  could  exert  himself  conscien- 
tiously in  Sulden's  behalf.  Maybe  if  I  had 
been  able  to  point  out  the  strength  of  my 
position  I  could  have  had  some  effect  on 


154         THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

Engle,  but  I  was  so  confoundedly  awkward 
about  it  all.  After  speaking  to  several  others 
I  was  nearly  ready  to  give  up  the  whole 
business.  It  seemed  so  hopeless.  Though 
good  friends  of  mine  ordinarily,  they  all 
either  laughed  or  sneered  at  me.  They  would 
not  even  pause  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say. 

"  So  you  have  taken  sides  with  the  traitor. 
I  wouldn't  have  thought  it  of  you,"  said 
Moore,  with  a  frown. 

"  Yes,"  said  Wheat,  "  he's  no  longer  for 
Belle  Monte." 

I  told  Wheat  to  be  careful  how  he  talked. 
Several  other  Allies  came  by  just  then,  and 
they  stopped  for  a  moment  to  pass  some 
harsh  criticism. 

As  soon  as  the  big  school  bell  sounded 
for  assembly,  I  hastened  to  the  hall  and  took 
my  seat  upon  the  front  row  of  benches.  I 
was  never  so  unnerved  in  all  my  life. 

With  the  clatter  of  many  feet  and  the 
clamour  of  many  voices  the  school  gathered 
together.  The  sharp  rapping  of  the  hammer 
in  old  'Ruff's  hands  soon  brought  every  one 
to  their  seats  quietly  and  in  order. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         155 

I  tried  to  brace  up  for  the  ordeal,  but  it 
seemed  as  if  there  was  not  a  bit  of  nerve  left 
about  me.  After  a  dozen  belated  ones  had 
straggled  in  and  taken  their  seats,  old  'Ruff 
arose  from  his  desk  and  walked  to  the  front 
of  the  little  platform. 

"  You  are  called  in  here,"  he  said,  running 
his  sharp  eye  over  the  whole  school,  "  to 
decide  a  question  for  yourselves.  It  is  some- 
thing that  the  school,  and  the  school  alone, 
should  determine,  so  it  is  proper  that  one  of 
your  number  preside.  I  suggest  your -ath- 
letic association  president,  Mr.  Saunders. 
The  question  before  you  is  in  the  hands 
of  John  Wilkins."  It  cut  me  to  the  quick 
to  hear  the  loud  murmur  of  disapproval  that 
followed  the  mention  of  my  name. 

"  If  you  wish  Mr.  Saunders  to  preside, 
make  it  known,"  continued  old  'Ruff.  Ed- 
mondson,  who  was  also  a  politician,  jumped 
up. 

"  What  is  the  question  ?  "  he  asked.  He 
knew  it  well  enough,  but  just  asked  this  for 
meanness.  Old  'Ruff  nodded  in  my  direc- 
tion, and  with  a  mighty  effort  I  arose. 


156         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  The  question  is,"  said  I,  trying  to  look 
squarely  into  that  coldly  attentive  array  of 
faces,  "  whether  or  not  the  Belle  Monte 
student  body  will  allow  Harry  Sulden  to 
remain  one  of  them."  There  was  an  omi- 
nous rumble  from  every  part  of  the  hall,  and 
half  a  dozen  fellows  were  on  their  feet  at 
once. 

"  I  don't  see,"  shouted  one,  "  why  that 
question  is  brought  up  again.  We  have 
already  passed  on  it ! "  This  allusion  to 
the  previous  night's  mob  brought  forth  a 
half  howl,  half  cheer.  Old  'Ruff  pounded 
viciously  for  order.  Two  or  three  others  had 
similar  protests  to  make.  Then  Humphries 
arose,  and  though  I  knew  there  was  noth- 
ing to  hope  for  from  him,  still  I  was  terribly 
interested  in  what  he  had  to  say,  for  his 
word  carried  with  it  a  big  influence. 

"  I  think  it  only  fair,"  he  said,  "  that  Mr. 
Wilkins  and  his  question  be  given  a  hear- 
ing, as  foolish  and  impossible  as  it  may  be. 
I  therefore  move  that  Mr.  Saunders  take 
the  chair,  so  we  can  be  through  with  this 
as  quickly  as  possible."  The  vote  was  called 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         157 

for  and  Saunders  took  the  chair.  Old  'Ruff 
immediately  left  the  hall. 

My  time  had  come  at  last,  and  I  felt 
anything  but  equal  to  it. 

"  Well,"  said  Saunders,  as  he  seated  him- 
self, "  we  will  now  hear  what  Mr.  Wilkins 
has  to  say." 

I  got  up  again  and  faced  the  school.  To 
be  as  bold  as  possible  had  been  my  plan, 
but  when  I  saw  that  look  of  distrust  and 
dislike  levelled  on  me  from  more  than  three 
hundred  pairs  of  eyes,  my  last  bit  of  cour- 
age seemed  to  leave  me.  I  had  felt  that 
same  strange  sensation  of  fear  many  a  time, 
just  before  the  kick-off  of  a  big  game,  but 
never  had  it  been  so  intensified. 

I  started  to  speak,  but  had  no  voice,  and 
there  I  stood  in  front  of  the  assembled 
school,  with  a  great  cause  to  plead  and 
never  a  word  to  express  it.  How  long  I 
wavered  in  this  miserable  state  I  do  not 
know.  My  utter  confusion  had  doubtless  be- 
come apparent  to  the  whole  school,  for  finally 
there  was  a  suppressed  titter  from  among 
the  smaller  boys  in  the  rear  of  the  hall. 


158          THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

This  brought  up  with  a  leap  my  rage 
against  myself  and  every  one  else.  For 
the  moment,  passion  got  the  better  of  my 
fear,  and  I  blurted  out  the  first  words  that 
came  into  my  mouth.  They  happened  to 
be,  "Will  Belle  Monte  demand  bare  jus- 
tice, or  will  she  give  mercy?  Which  is  the 
true  spirit  of  this  school,"  I  asked,  "for 
unyielding  justice,  or  mercy  ?  "  I  felt  a  little 
better  now. 

"  It  is  well  we  decide  this  here.  It  is  well 
we  have  such  a  vital  question  with  which 
to  test  us  now.  In  all  else  I  believe  Belle 
Monte  has  stood  for  what  is  true  and  what 
is  right.  The  test  of  the  idea  is  now  with 
us.  Here  is  where  we  lay  down  a  precedent, 
so  see  to  it  that  you  consider  well  before 
deciding.  Remember,  too,  that  you  are  not 
only  judge  and  jury  in  this  case,  but  also 
plaintiff.  Lay  aside  your  prejudices  if  you 
can,  and  pass  on  what  I  am  about  to  say, 
with  nothing  but  your  reason.  In  asking 
this  I  am  asking  something  very  difficult,  I 
know.  I  know  the  violent  state  to  which 
your  minds  are  wrought.  The  same  indig- 


"'FOR   UNYIELDING  JUSTICE   OR   MERCY?'" 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         l6l 

nation  still  burns  in  me,  when  I  think  of 
only  one  side  of  this  question.  And  you, 
my  comrades,  who  still  feel  the  bruises  of 
yesterday's  struggle,  I  ask  you,  particularly, 
to  deal  reasonably  with  what  I  have  to  say." 
I  was  all  right  now, — just  as  a  fellow  be- 
comes warmed  up  after  the  game  is  well 
started. 

"  I  ask  again,  is  it  the  spirit  of  this  school 
to  be  merciful  where  mercy  means  so  much, 
or  to  demand  a  punishment  which,  while  it 
be  just,  works  such  a  deep  injury  ?  I  will  try 
and  state  the  case. 

"  You  charge  Harry  Sulden  with  the 
betrayal  of  Belle  Monte  to  Ashville.  You 
charge  him  with  thus  having  lost  Belle 
Monte  the  State  championship, — her  right- 
ful honour, — and,  also,  that  he  caused  Belle 
Monte  to  be  subjected  to  a  driving  hard  game, 
where  we  should  have  had  an  easy  victory. 
You  charge  him  with  all  this,  —  so  do  I ;  you 
know  he  was  guilty  of  all  this,  —  so  do  I. 

"  And  why  did  he  do  it  ?  Simply  and 
solely  because  he  was  not  given  the  quarter- 
back position  after  he  had  proven  beyond 


1 62          THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

every  doubt  that  he  was  not  the  best  man 
for  the  place."  In  your  indignation  you  put 
the  question,  '  Was  there  ever  a  more  cow- 
ardly and  contemptible  spirit  shown  ? '  and 
I  will  answer, '  There  never  was ! ' : 

Then  from  all  parts  of  the  hall  there 
arose  a  yell :  "  You  are  right,  Wilkins,  you 
are  right,  in  spite  of  yourself ! " 

It  cost  me  an  effort  to  resist  this  torrent 
of  feeling. 

"  Then  you  will  ask  me,  '  Why  do  you  get 
up  here  to  plead  his  cause  ? '  and  I  will 
answer,  '  I  am  not  pleading  his  cause.' " 

There  was  an  intense  moment  of  un- 
broken silence. 

" '  Then  why  should  you  have  us  withhold 
the  punishment  ? '  is  the  question  in  your 
minds,"  I  cried. 

"  Because    I    would    rather   have    vou  — 

j 

rather  have  old  Belle  Monte  —  declare  for 
mercy,  instead  of  insist  on  stern  justice. 

"  '  But  mercy  to  whom  ? '  you  ask,  '  mercy 
to  Sulden,  the  dog,  the  miserable  traitor, 
when  the  punishment  he  deserves  is  far 
greater  than  what  we  can  give  him  ? ' 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         163 

" '  Mercy,'  I  answer, '  not  to  him,  but  to  his 
mother  and  sister,  —  to  those  who  love  him 
and  do  not  know  even  now  of  the  shame 
with  which  he  has  stained  himself.  What, 
will  you  have  your  justice  even  though  it 
give  them  a  lifelong  sorrow  ?  You  have  your 
revenge  —  you  disgrace  him  —  a  weak  boy, 
whose  character  is  unformed.  He  can  never 
hope  to  rise  from  it.  His  future  course  will 
be  a  downward  one.' 

"  There  is  not  one  of  you  here  who  truly 
believes  in  your  heart  that  I  am  not  loyal  to 
Belle  Monte.  If  there  is  one,  let  him  say 
so,  and  I  will  stop  speaking."  I  paused  a 
moment,  and  then  went  on.  "  But  I  will 
say,  that  while  the  triumphs  of  Belle  Monte 
and  her  reverses  mean  much  to  our  lives, 
still  there  are  other  things  in  life  of  a  deeper 
and  more  serious  result.  For  all  of  us  are 
young.  There  is  not  one  of  us  here  who 
has  reached  the  really  serious  beginning  of 
his  life.  While  Belle  Monte's  triumphs  may 
mean  much  to  us  now,  there  will  come  other 
things  that  will  mean  much  more.  I  feel 
that  it  is  the  most  serious  question  any  of 


1 64          THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

you  were  ever  called  upon  to  decide.  Its 
decision  belongs  to  a  time  in  life  more 
thoughtful  than  ours.  Will  you  still  demand 
your  vengeance,  even  though  it  inflicts  the 
deep  sorrow  that  a  mother  suffers  for  a  lost 
son  ?  If  equally  as  great  a  punishment  could 
be  placed  upon  the  offender,  and  the  offender 
alone,  I  believe  I  would  stand  with  you  to 
demand  it.  But  to  crush  those  who  are 
entirely  innocent,  to  darken  the  lives  of 
those  who  stand  for  whatever  there  might 
be  good  in  that  miserable  boy  —  Oh,  Belle 
Monte,  is  this  Belle  Monte  ?  —  is  this  Belle 
Monte's  spirit  ?  Are  you  true  boys,  true 
men,  or  are  you  relentless  entirely?  You 
notice  that  I  do  not  ask  your  mercy  for  his 
sake.  I  do  not  urge  your  forgiveness  to 
save  him  from  ruin,  nor  do  I  point  out  as 
an  extenuating  circumstance  the  fact  that 
he  had  turned  back  to  school  when  he 
passed  Winchester,  and  only  gave  the 
signals  after  yielding  to  the  persuasion 
of  his  cousin,  whom,  by  a  chance  of  miser- 
able misfortune,  he  had  met.  I  am  not 
seeking  to  appeal  to  your  sympathies  by 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         165 

telling  you  that  Sulden  has  just  said  to  me, 
'  Let  me  stay,  —  I  do  not  care  what  becomes 
of  me,  just  so  they  don't  know! '  But  Belle 
Monte  cares  nothing  for  what  he  asks ! 
These  are  not  my  arguments.  I  do  not  ask 
you  to  weigh  them.  Take  them,  do  with  them 
as  you  will.  I  am  not  pleading  his  cause !  " 
Here  the  disheartening  thought  struck 
me  that  I  must  bejosing  the  attention  of 
the  school.  Many  of  the  boys  did  not  seem 
to  be  looking  at  me.  So  instead  of  stop- 
ping then,  I  continued :  "  Oh,  boys,  my 
friends,  Allies,  First  Yearsmen,  and  you, 
my  comrades  of  the  team,  put  away  your 
prejudices,  and  consider  this  with  reason  and 
mercy.  If  possible,  each  one  of  you  put 
yourselves  into  the  place  of  Sulden  now. 
Most  of  you  have  mothers  or  sisters.  Sup- 
pose you  were  proud  and  wilful  to  a  great 
degree,  and  suppose  you  were  proportion- 
ately weak.  Suppose  in  the  passion  of 
disappointed  pride  you  committed  a  rash  act, 
the  consequences  of  which  you  did  not 
realise.  Still  you  would  deserve  the  punish- 
ment, would  you  not  ?  But  how  about  your 


1 66         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

mother  ?  What  if  it  meant  your  ruination, 
what  if  it  meant  her  lifelong  sorrow!  Oh, 
then,  would  you  not  pray  for  mercy,  would 
you  not  abase  yourselves,  bringing  your 
pride  to  the  dust?  I  am  ready  for  your 
answer,  —  would  you  ask  for  mercy?  " 

It  was  with  the  energy  of  despair  that  I 
cried  out  this  last,  for  the  fear  was  stealing 
over  me  that  my  words  had  fallen  on  deaf 
ears.  There  was  hardly  an  older  boy  around 
the  whole  hall,  the  attention  of  whose  eye 
I  still  held.  Allen,  with  his  head  between 
his  hands,  was  looking  down  on  his  desk. 
Humphries  was  studying  the  ceiling  with 
a  thoughtful  air.  Engle's  eye  was  fastened 
on  {he  floor,  while  Moore,  with  one  finger 
to  his  lips,  gazed  reflectively  out  of  the 
window.  As  I  ceased  speaking,  many 
others  also  seemed  to  be  in  the  same  mood 
of  inattention. 

I  had  lost,  beyond  question !  The  bit- 
terness of  my  defeat  flung  itself  over  me. 
I  sank  to  the  bench,  and  placed  my  hands 
to  my  ears,  to  shut  out  the  verdict  that  was 
about  to  be  thundered  against  me. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         l6/ 

There  was  a  dead  pause,  —  a  long  pause, 
and  I  was  almost  tempted  to  look  up. 

Then  I  heard  Saunders  speak.  His  voice 
seemed  strange  and  muffled :  "  Is  there 
any  one  else. to  be  heard  on  this  question?" 

Another  complete  silence ;  it  fairly  rung 
in  my  ears.  I  could  not  help  but  look  up 
now.  At  that  moment  Humphries  arose 
tall,  stern,  and  forbidding. 

I  had  lost  indeed,  for  he  was  a  sure-enough 
speaker. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,"  he  said,  with  a  graceful 
wave  of  his  long  arm,  and  in  that  high 
ringing  treble  that  never  failed  to  command 
attention,  "  Mr.  Chairman,  I  move  that  we 
take  the  vote  without  hearing  further  from 
any  one  on  the  subject."  (I  was  dumfounded.) 
"  I  hardly  think,  after  what  we  have  heard, 
that  the  opposition  has  anything  to  say." 

What  did  he  mean,  —  what  did  he  mean  ! 

"  Second  the  motion,"  a  low  voice  said. 
I  believe  it  was  Allen,  but  I  am  not  certain. 

"  It  has  been  moved  and  seconded," 
repeated  Saunders,  "  that  the  vote  be  taken 
without  further  discussion.  All  who  are  in 


1 68          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

favour  of  that  motion,  signify  by  saying 
aye." 

I  did  not  know  what  to  think  when  a  low 
ripple  of  assent  ran  over  the  hall. 

"  Those  opposed,  —  no." 

Complete  silence. 

I  was  utterly  bewildered. 

"  Question  !  "  shouted  Humphries,  jump- 
ing up.  "  Question  !  "  yelled  Harkis  and  a 
number  of  others  from  different  parts  of  the 
hall,  springing  to  their  feet.  The  whole 
school  was  standing  now.  Its  hesitation  of 
a  moment  before  had  disappeared,  and  a 
condition  of  sudden  determination  had  re- 
placed it. 

What  could  it  all  mean  ?  I  did  not  know ! 
I  hardly  dared  to  hope ! 

"  The  question  is,"  said  Saunders,  in  a 
loud  and  measured  tone,  "  will  you  allow 
Harry  Sulden  to  remain  at  Belle  Monte,  or 
will  you  insist  upon  his  expulsion  ?  " 

"  I  move  that  he  be  allowed  to  stay," 
Humphries's  clear  voice  rang  out  instantly. 

"  Second  the  motion  !  "  shouted  twenty 
others  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  It  was 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         169 

hard  indeed  for  me  to  follow  what  happened 
after  that,  my  fear  was  so  quickly  turned  to 
joy. 

"  It  has  been  moved  and  seconded,"  pro- 
nounced Saunders,  with  great  dignity,  "  that 
Sulden  be  allowed  to  remain  at  Belle  Monte. 
All  who  are  in  favour  of  that  motion,  signify 
by  saying  —  " 

There  was  a  thunderous  aye  that  rang 
and  reechoed  against  the  roof.  The  call  of 
noes  was  completely  lost  in  one  long,  ear- 
splitting  cheer. 

The  next  instant  my  dear  friends  crowded 
around  me.  Humphries  himself  was  the 
first  to  take  me  by  the  hand.  Though  he 
uttered  no  word,  the  tight  grip  of  his  fingers 
told  me  all  he  felt.  And  I  tried  to  thank 
him  with  might  and  main,  but  could  not  for 
the  confounded  lump  that  had  come  up  into 
my  throat. 

Then  Allen  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
and  said :  "  You  were  right,  Wilkins,  you 
were  right,"  and  spoke  no  more. 

How  happy  I  was  that  Sunday  morning! 

"  I  want  to  shake  your  paw,  Jack,"  said 


I/O         THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

bluff  old  Moore,  in  his  own  rough,  hearty 
manner,  "  you  are  the  gamest  fellow  in 
Belle  — "  I  tried  to  wave  him  aside. 
Harkis  pressed  close  to  me. 

"John,  old  boy  —  "  was  all  he  said. 

I  caught  Jack  Engle's  bright  smile  over 
the  heads  of  the  others.  Wheat,  Briggs, 
and  all  the  boys  had  something  to  say. 
Even  Edmondson,  the  First  Year  leader, 
and  Humphries's  deadly  rival,  came  forward. 

"  Great  piece  of  work,  great  piece  of 
work,"  he  commented,  with  a  smile.  "  You 
and  Humphries  stampeded  'em  in  fine 
style." 

A  motion  for  adjournment  was  entirely 
overlooked.  The  boys  poured  down  the 
steps  and  out  of  the  hall.  A  few  minutes 
later  the  bell  sounded  for  church. 

As  soon  as  I  could  get  away  from  my 
friends,  I  hastened  to  find  "  Cap'n."  He 
was  not  in  the  study,  and  I  came  up  with 
him  just  as  he  was  leaving  the  front  gate, 
on  his  way  to  church. 

It  seems  that  somebody  had  already  told 
him,  and  I  felt  greatly  embarrassed  when, 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         \Jl 

extending  his  hand  to  me,  he  said :  "  You 
did  well,  Wilkins,  you  did  very  well.  It  is 
something  you  will  never  have  cause  to 
regret." 

I  stammered  out  that  I  did  not  know  he 
had  already  heard  it. 

"  Have  you  told  the  boy  ? "  he  asked. 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  going  to  tell  him  now." 

At  first  I  knew  nothing  but  the  sense  of 
complete  relief  that  possessed  my  mind.  It 
was  such  a  balm  in  place  of  the  anxiety  I 
had  undergone.  Soon,  however,  another 
side  of  the  question  presented  itself,  and 
grave  doubts  began  to  dissipate  my  feeling 
of  security.  Suppose  Mrs.  Sulden  and 
Evelyn  should  hear  about  it,  after  all,  —  sup- 
pose they  would  learn  that  the  boy  had 
played  the  traitor,  and  was  at  that  moment 
practically  an  outcast  from  the  school.  If 
they  knew  this,  I  feared  the  added  knowledge 
that  he  had  been  saved  from  the  further 
disgrace  of  expulsion  would  help  them 
but  little. 

Well,  what  must  I  do  ?  what  remained 
for  me  to  do  ?  There  was  nothing.  I 


1/2          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

could  only  hope  that  they  would  never 
hear  it.  Then  I  began  to  wonder  if  by  any 
chance  it  had  already  reached  them.  The 
bare  thought  of  such  a  possibility  worried 
me  so  I  could  not  shake  it  off. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  when  I  could 
stand  this  uncertain  state  of  mind  no  longer, 
I  decided  to  call  on  the  Suldens  and  ascer- 
tain just  what  they  had  heard,  if  anything. 

So  I  went  to  old  'Ruff  for  the  necessary 
leave. 

"  Where  do  you  want  to  go  ? "  he  asked. 
(Dog-gone  his  impertinent  curiosity.) 

"  I  would  like  to  go  see  Mrs.  Sulden." 

"  I  hardly  think,  Wilkins,  that  you  will 
be  wanted  down  there  this  afternoon." 
(Confound  him  ! )  "  Harry  is  there  now." 

"  I  know,  sir,"  I  replied,  "  but  I  am  well 
acquainted  with  them,  and  I  would  be  very 
much  obliged  if  you  can  give  me  a  leave." 

"  Oh,  I'll  give  you  a  leave,"  he  growled, 
"  and  you  can  go  anywhere  you  please  in 
town,  but  I  was  only  telling  you  what's 
merely  proper." 

Now  what  do  you  think  of  that! 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         173 

I  could  have  smashed  a  chair  over  his 
head  with  the  utmost  pleasure.  It  was  on 
the  end  of  my  tongue  to  declare  that,  what- 
ever I  might  acquire  in  my  daily  contact 
with  him,  I  would  never  learn  good  breed- 
ing. But  I  didn't,  because  you  know  the 
mess  that  would  have  immediately  made 
for  me. 

So  I  silently  withdrew,  and,  after  giving 
my  shoes  and  hair  a  touch,  started  on  down 
to  the  Falkners.  I  had  not  gone  far  be- 
fore it  struck  me  that,  as  Harry  was  there, 
I  would  be  rather  out  of  place  if  the  others 
did  know  about  the  trouble.  Still  I  could 
not  endure  this  uncertainty,  and  just  had 
to  find  out  some  way.  Another  phase 
of  the  question  suddenly  flashed  over  me. 
Suppose  they  did  know  everything,  includ- 
ing what  had  happened  in  the  morning, 
they  would  very  naturally  think  that  I  was 
presenting  myself  to  receive  their  thanks 
and  commendation.  At  the  very  idea  of 
such  a  thing,  I  whirled  around  and  started 
back  toward  school. 

No,  I  would  not  go  near  the  Suldens,  and 


174         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

run  the  risk  of  doing  myself  such  an  injury. 
I  would  wait  until  the  boy  came  back,  no 
matter  how  late  it  might  be.  It  was  a  for- 
tunate thing,  I  thought,  that  this  side  of  the 
question  had  occurred  to  me  in  good  time. 

I  had  hardly  gone  twenty  steps,  when, 
looking  up  along  the  walk,  I  saw  old  'Ruff 
approaching,  some  distance  away.  This 
brought  me  to  a  sudden  halt,  for  it  would 
never  have  done  to  let  the  old  crank  know 
I  was  turning  back  without  seeing  the 
Suldens.  Never,  after  what  he  had  said 
about  propriety! 

But,  worse  luck  to  it,  there  was  no  lane 
to  turn  down,  or  any  other  way  to  dodge 
him.  I  felt  certain,  too,  that  the  old  fellow's 
hawk  eye  rested  upon  me  at  that  moment. 
So,  turning,  I  beat  a  hasty  retreat  down  into 
town  before  the  advancing  enemy. 

It  was  my  plan  to  get  by  him  unseen  at 
the  cross  streets.  There  I  met  little  Joe 
Falkner,  and  for  a  moment  my  escape  was 
a  secondary  thought 

"  Joe,"  I  asked,  "  was  Mrs.  Sulden  at  the 
house  when  you  left  ?  " 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.          1/5 

"No,  she  wasn't,"  he  answered;  "she  and 
Harry  went  walking  just  a  few  minutes 
ago." 

"Well,  —  er  —  er — did  Evelyn  go  with 
them  ? " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  she  did,"  he  replied. 

As  old  'Ruff  was  not  far  behind  now,  I 
turned  quickly  up  the  cross-way.  This 
happened  to  be  the  direction  in  which  the 
Falkners  lived,  but  of  course  it  was  as  good 
a  way  to  evade  old  'Ruff  as  any. 

If  Mrs.  Sulden  and  Harry  had  gone  walk- 
ing, I  thought,  that  doesn't  look  as  if  she 
had  heard  anything;  but  there  is  no  telling. 
It  might  be  easier  to  find  out  just  how 
matters  stood  from  Evelyn  by  herself,  than 
if  I  saw  both  her  and  her  mother  together. 
I  would  not  run  the  risk  of  causing  Mrs. 
Sulden  pain,  for  anything.  Then  Evelyn, — 
why,  I  would  not  cause  her  a  moment's  pain 
for  the  whole  of  Belle  Monte.  You  see  she 
was  such  a  fine  girl,  and  all  our  people  liked 
her  so  much.  The  more  I  turned  the  matter 
over  in  my  mind  the  more  I  became  con- 
vinced that  there  had  been  no  chance  for 


1/6         THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

either  Mrs.  Sulden  or  Evelyn  to  hear  any- 
thing of  it. 

I  would  have  liked  to  make  sure,  but  it 
was  out  of  the  question  to  see  Evelyn  and 
run  the  risk  of  her  having  heard  what  hap- 
pened in  the  morning.  It  was,  therefore, 
my  plan  to  just  slip  through  the  back  way 
and  return  to  school. 

So  occupied  was  my  mind  with  these 
thoughts  that  I  had  forgotten  all  about  old 
'Ruff,  and  not  until  I  was  almost  opposite 
the  Falkners'  gate  did  it  occur  to  me  to  look 
around. 

There  he  was,  close  behind ! 

Appearances  certainly  seemed  to  indicate 
that  he  had  dogged  my  footsteps,  though  he 
may  have  only  been  out  for  his  evening  con- 
stitutional and  happened  to  choose  this  par- 
ticular way.  I  felt  like  a  fellow  caught  out 
in  a  sudden  thunder  shower,  who  must  make 
a  quick  run  for  cover.  There  was  only  one 
thing  to  do,  —  turn  in  to  the  Falkners',  no 
matter  what  might  be  the  consequences. 
So  with  every  outward  appearance  of  per- 
fect indifference,  for  old  'Ruff's  benefit,  but 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         1 77 

with  many  an  inward  doubt,  I  passed  through 
the  gate  and,  mounting  the  steps,  pulled  the 
bell.  Then  I  turned  to  note  the  effect  that 
this  might  have  upon  the  old  villain,  but  he 
strode  by  with  the  stern  and  stately  air  of  a 
grenadier  on  dress  parade,  neither  looking 
to  the  right  nor  to  the  left. 

When  the  servant  answered  my  ring,  I 
asked  for  "  the  ladies,"  to  be  on  the  safe 
side.  This  included  the  Falkner  girls,  but 
I  •  hardly  thought  they  would  avail  them- 
selves of  my  society.  Things  could  not 
have  suited  me  one  whit  better  when  the 
servant  came  back  and  said  that  "  Miss 
Evelyn  was  the  only  one  at  home  and  she 
would  be  down  in  a  few  minutes." 

I  now  began  to  feel  that  my  mission 
would  not  prove  such  a  difficult  one,  after 
all.  Still,  how  I  might  lead  up  to  the  subject, 
or  the  best  thing  to  say  if  she  introduced  it, 
puzzled  me  not  a  little.  My  mind  was  yet 
in  an  uncertain  state  when  I  heard  a  rustle 
of  skirts  on  the  stairs,  and  the  next  moment 
Evelyn  appeared  in  the  doorway. 

The  first  sight  of  her  convinced  me  that 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

she  had  heard  something  at  least,  but  what  ? 
There  was  such  a  world  of  meaning  in  her 
look.  How  could  I  fathom  it?  Nor  did  I 
try,  for  with  it  all  there  was  a  smile  of  wel- 
come for  me.  At  the  sight  of  this  I  gathered 
courage,  and  forgot  my  fears  and  doubts  of 
a  moment  before,  though  there  was  still  a 
tremor  of  nervousness  as  I  took  her  hand. 

It  was  not  until  then  she  spoke. 

"  John,"  she  said,  quietly,  "  I  am  so  glad 
you  have  come.  I  have  been  hoping  you 
would,  and  thought  you  might." 

"  I  did  not  know,"  I  answered,  "  I  was 
uncertain  whether  I  should  or  not."  She 
looked  so  beautiful  in  her  pretty  blue  dress, 
to  which  her  black  hair  and  fair  face  made 
such  a  striking  combination  of  contrasts,  that 
I  felt  glad  I  had  come,  and  rather  lost  sight 
of  the  embarrassing  possibilities  of  my  visit. 
But  her  troubled  look  recalled  me  quickly. 

There  was  a  pause  as  I  drew  chairs  for  us 
toward  the  fire. 

She  has  heard,  I  thought,  but  how  much  ? 

Great  indeed  was  my  surprise  when,  on 
turning  around,  I  found  her  standing  with 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         179 

both  hands  to  her  face  and  quivering  with  a 
suppressed  sob. 

"Why,  Evelyn,  Evelyn,"  I  cried,  "  why  — 
what  can  be  the  matter?  Won't  you  tell 
me?  What  is  it?" 

How  furious  I  felt  at  that  dog  of  a  brother 
now ! 

Anything  at  all,  anything  on  earth  but  a 
woman's  tears, —  I  cannot  stand  the  sight  of 
them. 

She  sank  into  a  chair,  her  face  still  buried 
in  her  hands.  What  would  I  not  have  given 
for  the  right  to  kneel  beside  and  comfort 
her!  But  no,  I  dare  not  trust  myself  with 
such  a  thought,  and  turned  away  to  the 
window  that  I  might  not  see  her  grief. 

After  a  moment  I  asked  again,  "  Evelyn, 
what  can  it  be  ?  I  hate  to  see  you  so 
distressed." 

There  was  another  pause,  when  she  finally 
answered,  "  You  surely  —  surely  know  about 
Ha  —  Harry.  To  think  my  brother  should 
do  such  a  thing !  Ethel  told  me  "  (may  the 
devil  take  Ethel),  "  and  —  and  —  I  would  not 
have  mother  know  —  it  for  anything  — on 


180          THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

earth,  but  she  will  when  they  ex  —  expel 
him.  To  think  that  my  brother  —  " 

Oh,  it  was  all  clear  now! 

I  turned  toward  her,  for  I  could  not  relieve 
her  anguish  quick  enough. 

"  Why,"  I  said,  "  he  will  not  be  expelled, 

—  no,  he  will  not,  Evelyn.     You  have  only 
heard    half.      The    school    held    a   meeting 
this  morning,  and  after  —  after  the  question 
had  been  discussed  —  er  —  we  —  decided  not 
to  demand  his   expulsion.     We   thought  it 
would    be    better  in   every  way   to   let    the 
whole  matter  drop." 

She  looked  up  quickly,  her  eyes  still  wet 
with  tears,  but  a  sudden  light  had  come  into 
her  face.  I  could  not  turn  away  again, 
though  I  tried. 

"  They  have  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  they  have ! 
Oh,  I  am  so  thankful,  so  thankful,  so  thank- 
ful!  But  how  —  why  —  really,  is  it  settled 

—  is  there  no  chance  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  no  doubt  of  it." 

"  Now  mother  will  never  know  —  ah,  that 
is  such  a  mercy.  Harry  was  here  awhile 
ago,  and  though  he  seemed  rather  quiet  I 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         l8l 

thought  it  was  so  strange  he  did  not  say 
anything  about  it.  Of  course  I  said  nothing, 
because  of  mother.  To  think,  though,  that  he 
should  have  done  such  a  thing !  "  and  she 
looked  away  again.  "  But,  John,"  she  said, 
in  a  low  tone,  a  moment  later,  and  facing  me 
once  more,  "  tell  me  about  how  it  all  hap- 
pened ;  I  only  heard  in  a  general  —  sort  of 
a  way." 

It  was  hard  to  do,  but  I  finally  managed 
to  stumble  through  it,  and  she  listened  very 
calmly.  When  I  told  her  of  how  the  boy 
had  barricaded  himself  in  his  room  and  evi- 
dently prepared  to  make  a  desperate  resist- 
ance, there  was  the  smallest  bit  of  a  sparkle 
in  her  eye. 

"  And  the  others,"  she  asked,  when  I  had 
finished  about  the  mob,  "  what  could  have 
made  the  school  relent  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  was  their  brave  generosity, 
nothing  less,  —  their  spirit  of  forgiveness." 

For  some  minutes  we  were  silent. 

"  John,"  she  said  at  last,  "  you  have  a 
right  to  be  proud  of  Belle  Monte." 

I  did  not  stay  long  after  that.     Somehow 


1 82          THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

I  felt  a  queer  misgiving  of  conscience,  and 
though  I  was  happy  to  be  there  with  her 
(for  she  treated  me  less  like  a  youngster 
than  usual),  still*  I  wanted  to  get  away  by 
myself  and  think  it  all  over.  I  took  a  long 
walk  out  on  the  road  before  returning  to 
school. 

I  have  told  you  how  the  manly  generosity 
of  Belle  Monte  saved  Sulden  from  expulsion, 
though  it  did  not  lessen  the  ill  feeling 
toward  him.  I  will  now  tell  you  how  he 
not  only  cleared  himself  of  this  but  won  the 
favour  and  praise  of  every  boy  at  Belle 
Monte.  Candidly,  I  had  never  thought 
much  of  the  boy,  though  he  came  from  a 
splendid  family.  However,  as  I  had  brought 
him  up  to  school  I  felt  in  a  measure  respon- 
sible for  his  actions;  so  nothing  could 
have  delighted  me  more  than  by  his  prov- 
ing at  last  that  he  had  some  truly  manly 
instincts  about  him. 

As  I  said,  the  Suldens  were  sterling 
people.  My  father  has  often  told  me  of 
them.  He  knew  them  in  his  youth,  when 
they  were  both  numerous  and  wealthy. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         1 83 

Their  title  to  honour  was  clear,  I  thought. 
In  the  war  they  had  given  all  of  their 
fortune  and  most  of  their  lives  for  what 
they  believed  to  be  right. 

So  you  see  I  could  not  reconcile  the 
spirit  that  had  been  shown  by  Sulden  with 
what  I  knew  of  his  family.  Even  before 
the  trouble,  I  used  to  say  to  myself  that  he 
was  not  worthy  of  his  name,  though  all  the 
time  I  measured  him  by  too  hard  a  standard, 
for  really  his  character  had  not  yet  been 
formed. 

Blood  will  tell  in  men  just  as  it  does  in 
horses,  and  so  it  was  with  Sulden. 

Monday  morning  found  Belle  Monte  still 
in  a  state  of  great  indignation.  The  cur- 
rent of  the  school's  wrath  was  now  turned 
upon  Ashville,  and  we  were  ready  for  all 
sorts  of  desperate  measures.  We  would 
proclaim  their  dirty  methods  throughout 
the  State.  Everybody  would  know  how  they 
had  won.  All  this  and  a  great  deal  more 
we  would  do,  if  they  did  not  grant  our 
demands  for  another  game.  We  would 
send  them  our  threats  and  our  defiance 


184          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

immediately,  and  at  second  recess  had  about 
completed  the  arrangements  to  do  so.  It 
was  then,  while  at  the  height  of  our  indigna- 
tion, we  were  given  a  great  surprise. 

Thomas,  the  Ashville  manager,  appeared 
at  Belle  Monte.  Before  we  learned  his 
mission  he  was  by  no  means  in  perfect 
safety.  But  when  he  told  us  that  he  had 
come  to  offer  Belle  Monte  the  chance  of 
another  game,  our  scornful  distrust  of  a 
moment  before  was  turned  to  hilarious  joy. 

"  You  got  a  letter  from  me,"  he  said  to 
Allen,  "  and  that's  why  I  thought  you  knew 
before  the  game  we  had  your  signals." 

"  Oh,  you  are  the  fellow  who  signed  him- 
self '  Fair  Play,' '  exclaimed  our  captain. 
"  Well,  unluckily,  that  letter  was  delayed." 

"  The  Ashville  school,  and  professors,  too, 
think  you  deserve  another  game."  We 
greeted  this  with  a  wild  shout.  Thomas 
continued,  "The  whole  thing  was  Markham's 
doing,  as  you  know,  and  he  claimed  that  he 
had  found  a  card  with  the  signals  on  it.  A 
friend  of  mine  in  Winchester  had  seen  him 
with  Sulden,  and  I  only  learned  the  real 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         1 85 

truth  the  day  before  the  game.  It  was  then 
I  wrote  you  the  letter.  Now  that  we  know 
at  school  what  really  happened,  everybody 
thinks  Belle  Monte  was  served  a  low  trick. 
So  we  are  ready,  team  and  all,  to  do  what's 
fair  about  it.  Markham,  of  course,  is 
opposed  to  another  game,  and  only  agreed 
to  it  after  a  conference  with  '  Big  Medi- 
cine ' "  (which  was  their  pet  name  for  Pro- 
fessor Coleman).  "  No,  we  cannot  claim  any 
championship  on  Saturday's  game." 

"  Why,"  said  Moore,  catching  the  Ash- 
ville  manager  by  the  hand,  "  you  are  a  real 
gentleman,  you  ought  to  be  here  at  Belle 
Monte." 

It  was  quickly  agreed  that  we  should  play 
in  Ashville,  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  So  all 
was  serene  at  Belle  Monte  once  more. 

A  complete  change  of  our  signal  system 
was  instituted,  and  that  afternoon  we  re- 
sumed practice.  The  order  of  the  day 
was  signal  work.  Every  fellow  fell  to 
pounding  away  at  the  new  code  harder 
than  he  had  ever  battled  with  the  toughest 
Latin  and  Greek  roots.  We  had  gotten 


1 86         THE  SUBS7^Tl)TE    QUARTERBACK. 

along  very  satisfactorily,  when,  on  the  after- 
noon before  the  game,  a  great  misfortune 
befell  us.  It  was  the  lightest  kind  of  prac- 
tice, but  somehow,  by  an  unlucky  chance, 
Russell  made  a  false  step  and  severely 
turned  his  ankle.  We  had  to  carry  him  to 
his  room.  The  little  fellow's  distress  was 
pitiful,  for  he  knew  the  sprain  would  keep 
him  out  of  the  great  game.  Though  we 
did  our  best  to  console  him,  still  we  too 
felt  the  loss  keenly. 

It  also  presented  a  very  perplexing  prob- 
lem. Who  would  play  quarterback  ?  There 
wrere  no  substitutes  for  the  place,  and  cer- 
tainly nobody  could  be  broken  into  it  at  the 
last  moment.  Allen  did  not  know  what 
to  do.  It  was  then  that  I  called  him  aside 
and  suggested  he  put  in  Sulden.  At  first 
he  would  not  hear  of  it. 

"  It  would  be  an  insult  to  the  school,"  he 
exclaimed. 

"  I  do  not  think  so,"  I  replied,  "  and  it's 
a  chance  to  redeem  himself,  for  which  the 
boy  would  give  his  life.  Besides,  you  know, 
he  is  in  training,  and  a  fairly  good  player 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         1 87 

for  the  position.  He  is  the  quickest  boy  I 
ever  saw  to  pick  up  a  code  of  signals,  and 
that  will  count  for  a  good  deal  here  at  the 
last  moment." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Allen,  with  a  touch  of 
sarcasm,  "  he's  a  good  man  at  signals." 

"  Why,  I'd  bet  my  head  on  his  fidelity 
now.  He  has  learned  a  lesson  he  will  never 
forget.  Besides,  he  is  allowed  to  stay  at 
Belle  Monte  now  only  for  his  family's  sake. 
Give  him  a  chance  for  his  own  sake  to  live 
this  down." 

Allen  shook  his  head  doubtfully,  and 
approached  the  others.  He  told  them  what 
I  had  suggested,  and  they,  of  course,  ob- 
jected at  first,  but  when  they  realised  that 
there  was  no  one  else  to  play  quarterback, 
they  looked  at  it  more  favourably.  They 
were  all  practical  players,  and  as  their  minds 
were  more  intent  upon  the  next  day's  game 
than  anything  else,  they  did  not  stop  to 
consider  sentiment  in  a  situation  so  critical. 
Thus  it  was  agreed  that  Sulden  should 
play. 

I  went  to  the  boy  in  his  room  and  told 


I  88          THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

him.     His   astonishment  and  delight  made 
me  all  the  more  confident  in  him. 

The  rapidity  with  which  he  picked  up 
that  new  code  was  simply  marvellous.  He 
jumped  into  every  play  with  so  much  dash 
and  spirit.  He  was  fairly  on  tiptoe  with 
eagerness  to  do  his  part.  The  rehearsal  of 
signals  continued  until  dark,  in  order  to 
give  Sulden  a  good  chance  at  them. 

As  we  trotted  off  toward  the  gymnasium, 
Allen  whispered  to  me,  "  Now  I  know  we 
did  not  make  a  mistake  last  Sunday." 

That  night  and  the  next  morning,  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  adverse  comment  about, 
putting  Sulden  into  quarter,  but  Allen  paid 
no  attention  to  it. 

Before  leaving  the  gymnasium  dressing- 
rooms,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go  straight 
down-town  and  tell  the  Suldens  what  had 
happened.  At  least  I  would  tell  Evelyn, 
for  I  knew  that  it  would  make  her  very 
happy,  but  I  was  rather  uncertain  about 
Mrs.  Sulden. 

Supper  call  would  be  sounded  in  only 
half  an  hour,  and  for  that  reason,  if  no  other, 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         189 

I  knew  there  was  not  the  slightest  chance 
of  getting  a  leave  from  old  'Ruff.  So  I 
decided  to  take  the  law  in  my  own  hands, 
which,  by  the  way,  I  had  done  on  other 
occasions  of  necessity.  The  risk  of  getting 
caught  did  not  amount  to  much,  for  all  the 
teachers  were  generally  in  their  rooms  at 
that  hour. 

My  time  was  very  limited,  so,  hastily 
climbing  the  fence  opposite  school,  I  set 
out  at  a  brisk  trot  across  a  field  to  the 
lane  which  we  called  the  back  way.  I  felt 
unsafe  even  here,  for  old  'Ruff  was  not  in 
his  room  when  I  had  left,  and  as  he  had  a 
habit  of  sometimes  lurking  in  the  back  way, 
for  the  sole  and  only  purpose  of  catching 
boys  who  might  be  stealing  off,  I  kept  a 
sharp  lookout.  The  coast  was  clear,  how- 
ever, and  I  soon  got  through  into  the  street. 

On  reaching  the  Falkners'  gate  I  had  not 
decided  just  for  whom  to  ask,  but  there  was 
no  time  to  consider,  so  I  hurried  across  the 
yard  and  up  the  steps. 

Luck  favoured  me,  for,  glancing  through 
the  side-light  of  the  door,  I  saw  Evelyn  in 


IQO         THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

the  hallway.  It  was  evident  that  she  was 
just  come  in,  for  she  still  had  on  her  hat 
and  cloak.  So,  instead  of  ringing  the  bell,  I 
knocked  very  gently,  and,  as  I  hoped,  she 
came  to  the  door. 

Of  course  she  was  considerably  surprised 
to  see  me. 

"  Come  right  in,  John,"  she  exclaimed, 
"  and  you  must  stay  to  supper,  too,  for  it  is 
almost  ready." 

'  "  Instead  of  coming  in,  Evelyn,"  I  replied, 
"  I'll  ask  you  to  come  out.  I  have  run  down 
from  school  to  tell  you  something  and  will 
have  to  rush  right  back,  for  I'm  not  on  leave." 

"  Nobody  here  will  give  you  away,  John," 
she  answered,  smilingly.  "  Come  on  in ;  but 
what  have  you  to  tell  me  ? "  she  asked,  with 
a  suggestion  of  alarm  in  her  tone. 

As  I  resolutely  held  back  from  the  light, 
she  crossed  the  threshold  and  drew  the  door 
shut  after  her.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  her, 
but  still  I  would  have  to  stand  that. 

"What  is  it?  "  she  asked  again,  eagerly. 

"  Harry  is  going  to  play  in  the  game 
against  Ashville  to-morrow." 


'"I    KNOW    HE    WILL    REDEEM    HIMSELF.1" 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         191 

"  Why,"  she  hesitated,  "  why,  is  he  really ! 
When  was  that  brought  about?" 

"  This  afternoon." 

"  What  was  the  cause  of  it,  John  ?  " 

I  could  see  her  face  now,  by  the  faint 
lamplight  glow  that  found  its  way  through 
the  side-lights. 

As  quickly  as  possible  I  told  her  how 
Russell  had  been  hurt,  and  how  Allen  had 
consented  to  Sulden's  taking  his  place. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  she  said,  "  I  am  so  glad. 
Poor  little  Russell,  it  is  hard  on  him,  but  I 
am  so  glad  for  Harry's  sake.  I  used  to 
dread  the  very  thought  of  his  playing  at  all, 
but  it  is  different  now.  How  thankful  I  am 
to  Mr.  Allen  for  giving  him  the  chance." 
There  was  a  proud  flash  in  her  dark  eyes,  as 
she  added :  "  I  know  he  will  redeem  him- 
self!" 

Ah,  she  was  a  true  Sulden,  heart  and  soul. 

"  How  about  telling  your  mother  ? "  I 
asked. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  will  tell  her,"  she  answered ; 
"she  will  go  to  the  game,  of  course  —  we 
will  both  go." 


1 92          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

There  was  something  else,  though  I 
started  away  without  speaking  of  it,  but 
turned  back  at  the  steps. 

"  Evelyn,"  I  called,  as  she  was  about  to 
close  the  door,  "  are  you  going  to  Charles- 
ton, Friday  morning  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  answered,  stopping  a 
moment,  "  that  is  my  plan." 

"  I  had  hoped  you  would  stay  here  this 
time,"  I  said,  in  a  desperate  frame  of  mind. 

"  I  am  so  very  sorry,  John,  but  you  see 
they  expect  me." 

I  don't  think  I  said  good  night,  and  didn't 
come  down  the  steps  but  jumped  off  the 
porch. 

Always  to  Charleston,  always  to  Charles- 
ton! 

Pauloffs  was  at  Charleston,  Jack  Harding 
was  at  Pauloff's,  —  always  to  Charleston  ! 
I  was  in  the  lane  again,  now,  but  did  not 
hurry.  Confound  it,  what  did  I  care 
whether  I  be  late  or  not!  What  did  I 
bother  about  demerits!  What  difference 
did  it  make  about  supper — or  study  hour  — 
or  old  'Ruff  —  they  could  all  go  to  the 


THE    SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         195 

devil !  In  fact,  I  did  not  care  much  whether 
or  not  I  found  the  school  there  on  the  hill 
when  I  got  back.  What  did  it  matter ! 

To  Charleston ! 

Ah,  well,  come  now,  be  a  man,  brace  up. 
You  are  young  yet.  Yes,  most  painfully 
young  —  most  disastrously  young.  Not  as 
old  by  a  year  and  a  half  as  Jack  Harding. 
But  what  right  have  you  to  complain  ? 
Did  she  treat  you  badly?  No,  she  didn't. 
Well,  what  is  it?  Indeed,  she  could  not 
have  been  more  gracious,  but  it  was  not  — 
it  was  not  —  why,  it  was  just  like  she  might 
have  treated  her  own  brother !  Oh,  con- 
found it  all,  she  knows  well  enough  that 
you  are  sixteen  days  older  than  she  is,  and 
you  ought  to  be  treated  with  a  little  more 
—  a  little  more  —  but  it's  not  consideration! 

I  could  just  see  the  school  lights  across 
the  field  when  I  heard  supper  call.  Though 
not  a  bit  inclined  to  hurry,  for  anybody  or 
anything,  still  as  there  was  no  use  in  getting 
demerits  just  for  the  want  of  a  little  extra 
exertion,  I  made  a  run  for  it,  and  reached 
the  dining-hall  in  fairly  good  time.  Old 


196         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

'Ruff  did  look  at  me  rather  inquiringly,  but 
said  nothing. 

Of  course  the  whole  of  Belle  Monte  went 
to  Ashville  to  see  the  game.  It  was  such 
another  big  event  as  the  one  at  Winchester. 

When  we  trotted  out  on  the  field,  some- 
thing occurred  that  made  me  very  angry. 
Our  people  cheered  every  one  of  us,  by 
name,  except  Sulden.  Though  the  boy 
certainly  noticed  this  slur,  still  he  was  smil- 
ing brightly  when  I  caught  his  eye. 

"  Oh,  John,"  he  said,  "  this  is  the  greatest 
day  of  my  life." 

There  is  no  question  in  your  mind,  I 
know,  who  won  the  game,  for  if  you  have 
any  idea  at  all  of  football  you  will  under- 
stand how  far  we  outclassed  Ashville.  They 
gave  us  a  good  strong  fight,  though,  but, 
pshaw,  we  fairly  mowed  them  in  that  first 
half.  Why,  it  only  took  us  a  little  more 
than  three  minutes  to  score.  We  went  at 
them  fiercely,  Til  tell  you. 

How  Sulden  played !  I  had  never 
thought  it  was  in  him.  Russell  had  al- 
ways been  considered  the  finest  quarter- 


THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         197 

back  in  the  State,  but  I  believe  he  was 
equalled  on  that  day.  Why,  the  boy's  play 
was  especially  noticeable,  though  in  this 
game  every  member  of  the  Belle  Monte 
team  was  working  as  he  never  worked 
before.  His  passing  was  swift  and  true, 
and  he  ran  in  the  interference  like  a  vet- 
eran. There  was  no  hesitation  now  about 
the  way  he  flung  himself  under  and 
dived  through  the  Ashville  interference. 
Nothing  could  have  been  prettier.  They 
could  not  help  but  have  noticed  it  on  our 
side,  but,  so  far,  there  was  not  a  single  cheer 
for  Sulden. 

Everybody  was  happy,  for  we  rushed  the 
ball  down  the  field  and  over  the  Ashville 
goal-line  a  second  time  before  the  half 
ended.  We  were  giving  them  a  good 
drubbing. 

Of  course  the  boys  made  a  great  fuss 
over  us  members  of  the  team,  during  the 
intermission.  At  least  they  did  over  all 
except  Sulden,  but  they  let  him  severely 
alone.  This  was  utterly  unfair,  if  nothing 
else,  for  they  knew  the  dashing  game  he 


198          THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

had  been  playing.  It  made  me  mad,  and  I 
got  out  of  their  way,  through  the  crowd, 
before  they  could  pick  me  up  with  the 
others. 

I  wanted  to  see  the  Suldens  —  not  to 
speak  to  them,  of  course,  for  I  hardly  had 
time  —  but  to  find  out  how  they  appeared 
to  be  taking  things,  with  Harry  in  the  game. 
I  soon  caught  sight  of  them,  with  two  of  the 
Falkners,  in  an  open  carriage  among  the 
vehicles  drawn  up  at  one  side  of  the  field. 
Both  Mrs.  Sulden  and  Evelyn  were  intently 
watching  the  excited  crowd  of  Belle  Monte 
students.  They  were  evidently  searching 
for  Harry,  and  their  anxiety  was  very  ap- 
parent. Confound  that  thoughtless  boy ! 
Why  didn't  he  come  and  show  them  that 
he  had  not  been  hacked  to  pieces,  or  broken 
in  two  —  for  that  was  their  idea  of  what 
often  happened  to  players  in  a  football 
game.  They  both  looked  so  troubled  that  I 
thought  it  my  duty  to  reassure  them. 

"  Mrs.  Sulden,"  I  said,  approaching  the 
step,  "  haven't  you  noticed  what  a  great 
game  Harry  has  been  playing  ? " 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         199 

"  Why,  John  Wilkins,"  she  exclaimed, 
nervously,  "  where  is  my  boy  ?  " 

"  He's  right  over  there,  in  the  crowd,"  I 
answered,  "and  hasn't  a  scratch  or  a  bruise 
on  him  anywhere,  though  he's  certainly  play- 
ing a  fine  game." 

"  Fine  game,  indeed  —  fine  game  !  I  most 
sincerely  trust  and  hope  that  he  will  never 
again  get  into  anything  so  terrible  —  so 
utterly  terrible!" 

This  must  have  indeed  been  exquisite 
torture  for  her.  It  was  such  a  pity,  I 
thought,  that  she  did  not  know,  and  could 
not  appreciate ;  but  still  it  would  be  a  cruel 
thing  to  tell  her. 

I  turned  toward  Evelyn ;  she  knew  and 
appreciated.  In  her  was  the  proud  Sulden 
spirit,  and  no  matter  what  her  anxiety  might 
have  been,  I  was  certain  she  felt  happy  that 
her  brother  was  standing  the  test  so  well. 

She  was  looking  at  me  with  such  a  singu- 
lar expression  I  did  not  know  what  to  make 
of  it. 

"  He  is  playing  a  good  game,  is  he  ? "  she 
asked,  and  then  added,  "  I  am  so  glad." 


20O         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  The  best  game  of  us  all,"  I  answered. 

"  But  they  haven't  cheered  him  even 
once,"  she  said,  questioningly,  and  with  a 
doubtful  shake  of  her  head. 

I  looked  down  to  the  ground. 

"  I  am  ashamed  of  Belle  Monte,"  I  an- 
swered. 

Mrs.  Sulden  was  now  talking  to  the 
Falkners. 

"John,"  said  Evelyn,  leaning  forward  over 
the  carriage  rail,  "  you  have  told  me  two  big 
stories."  She  paused  for  a  moment,  as  if 
uncertain  what  to  say. 

So  she  had  found  out  —  no  doubt  from 
that  little  busybody,  Ethel  Falkner,  again. 
What  must  a  fellow  do?  I  could  run,  but 
still  — 

"  Two  big  stories,"  she  repeated,  finally 
(for  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  tell  whether 
she  was  serious).  "  Ethel  had  heard  all 
about  what  happened  both  Sunday  morn- 
ing and  yesterday "  (there,  I  knew  it). 
"  Don't  you  think  it  was  very  wrong  to 
deceive  me  that  way?"  (Now,  what  could 
I  answer  to  that!)  "Why  did  you  do  sp? 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         2OI 

No  one  could  ever  have  thanked  you,  if 
I  hadn't  heard.  How  ungrateful  it  would 
have  seemed  — "  I  held  up  my  hand. 

"  Oh,  please  don't,"  I  asked.  What  right 
had  I  to  such  gratitude  for  only  doing  my 
duty?  Then  the  question  challenged  me 
for  the  first  time:  Was  it  nothing  but  my 
sense  of  duty  toward  the  Suldens  that  had 
prompted  me  to  what  I  had  done  for  the 
boy?  Was  it  only  that? 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  didn't  tell  me,"  she 
continued. 

"  I  don't  see  how  I  could  have,"  I  replied. 

"  It's  so  silly  to  talk  that  way,  John. 
How  could  I  help  but  hear,  when  the  whole 
of  Belle  Monte  school  knew  all  about  it  ? 
Why,  you  ought  to  have  known  that  Ethel 
would  have  heard  all  about  it  and  told  me." 

I  was  forced  to  acknowledge  that  I  had 
not  considered  the  possibilities  of  Miss 
Falkner  in  the  case. 

"You  were  a  very  foolish  boy,  John." 

Though,  of  course,  I  was  rather  confused, 
still  there  appeared  to  be  something  in  her 
manner  toward  me  which  I  had  never 


2O2          THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

before  seen.  It  may  have  been  only  my 
imagination,  but,  somehow,  I  did  not  so 
feel  my  lack  of  years,  which  had  always 
been  the  effect  of  her  presence  upon  me. 
To  speak  the  plain  truth,  she  did  not  treat 
me  so  much  as  if  I  were  her  own  brother. 

So,  with  a  desperate  effort,  I  determined 
to  try  and  tell  her,  then  and  there,  just  what 
I  was  certain  now  I  felt,  —  no  matter  what 
happened,  —  no  matter  if  the  earth  should 
open  and  swallow  me,  or  the  sky  fall  down 
upon  me.  But  I  was  a  coward,  for  all  of 
that,  because  I  took  courage  in  the  fact  that, 
in  possibly  three  minutes,  the  whistle  would 
blow,  calling  the  game  again. 

"  Why  did  I  try  and  help  your  brother 
out  of  this  trouble,  Evelyn  ?  "  I  blundered. 

"  It  was  because  you  were  thoughtful  and 
kind  enough  to  save  him  from  the  disgrace 
of  expulsion,"  she  answered,  quickly. 

This  made  me  waver.  Could  she  have 
thought  I  was  angling  for  such  praise !  But 
I  continued : 

"  Yes,  but  I  had  a  better  reason  than  that. 
What  is  it?" 


THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.         2O3 

"  It  was  because  you  were  noble  enough 
to  want  to  save  mother  from  all  the  sorrow 
it  would  have  meant,"  she  replied.  Oh, 
this  was  terrible,  but  I  could  not  and  would 
not  turn  back  now. 

"But  that's  not  all,  you  know  that's  not 
all,  Evelyn.  Why,  don't  you  understand 
what  I  mean  ?" 

She  hesitated,  and  then  finally  answered, 
with  her  face  half  averted,  "  I  don't  know  — 
unless  —  unless  —  you  wanted  to  spare  me 
from  pain." 

"  That's  it  — that's  it!  But  why,  Evelyn, 
was  I  more  anxious  to  spare  you  from  pain 
than  your  brother  from  disgrace  or  your 
mother  from  sorrow  ?  " 

This  seemed  reckless,  but  it  was  true.  I 
repented  it  quickly  enough,  though,  for 
the  look  of  reproach  she  turned  upon 
me. 

"  You  were  very  wrong  to  feel  that  way," 
she  said,  though  there  was  nothing  of  re- 
proach in  her  tone. 

"  Right  or  wrong,"  I  answered,  "  why  was 
it,  —  or  don't  you  know  ?  " 


2O4          THE  SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

She  would  not  look  at  me,  or  even  glance 
up,  but  only  shook  her  head. 

"Why,  you  do  know,  too, — you  do  know 
that  —  "  At  this  moment  the  whistle  blew, 
and,  contemptible  coward  that  I  was,  I  hesi- 
tated and  stopped  right  there.  I  looked 
around,  —  the  field  was  cleared  and  the  men 
were  hurrying  to  their  places.  In  a  moment 
they  would  be  calling  me. 

I  had  failed !  Oh,  why  didn't  I  have 
power  or  manliness  enough  to  speak  right 
out,  even  one  word  of  all  that  I  felt  ? " 

"  Good-bye,"  I  said,  bitterly.  "  As  you  are 
going  to  Charleston  in  the  morning,  I  will 
not  see  you  again  until  —  until  away  next 
summer." 

I  took  her  hand,  but  she  drew  it  suddenly 
from  me  and,  looking  up,  exclaimed : 

"Why  —  yes,  you  will,  too,  John,  because 
I  have  decided  not  —  I  mean  I  am  not  — 
going  —  to-morrow,"  and  with  a  beautiful 
blush,  she  quickly  added,  "  Mother  has 
asked  me  to  delay  my  visit." 

In  the  second  half,  after  we  had  scored 
our  third  touch-down,  Ashville  took  a 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK.          205 

strong  brace,  from  sheer  desperation.  They 
ran  around  our  end,  but  it  was  Sulden  who 
cut  the  runner  down  with  a  sweeping  tackle, 
before  he  had  made  much  gain.  They 
charged  into  tackle,  but  Sulden  was  first  to 
throw  himself  right  under  the  whole  play. 
I  was  so  glad  that  all  of  this  happened  close 
to  the  Belle  Monte  side.  The  breath  had 
been  knocked  out  of  him,  and  he  was  down 
a  minute,  before  he  could  take  his  place 
again.  On  the  next  play  he  broke  through 
the  Ashville  line  and  tumbled  the  runner 
back  for  a  loss.  But  he  was  hurt  again.  It 
had  become  evident  that  he  did  not  possess 
the  physical  strength  to  stand  such  a  severe 
game.  No  cheer  for  Sulden  had  yet  been 
heard,  but  we  members  of  the  team  ex- 
pressed what  we  felt,  in  fragmentary  sen- 
tences, between  the  rushes. 

"  Good  tackle,  boy,"  grunted  Moore. 

"  That's  the  way  to  get  under  'em ! " 
exclaimed  Allen. 

"  You  are  right  in  the  game,"  Harkis 
called  out.  Sulden  was  hurt  again,  but  he 
would  not  stay  down,  even  a  moment.  He 


206         THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

seemed  very  unsteady  on  his  feet,  and  Captain 
Allen  looked  at  him  doubtfully.  Once  more 
we  were  at  it.  This  time  we  managed  to 
block  their  kick.  Sulden  dodged  through 
somehow,  and,  picking  up  the  ball,  started 
toward  their  goal.  But,  in  his  weakened 
state,  he  could  not  sprint  hard  enough  to 
shake  off  his  pursuers.  He  ran  maybe 
thirty  yards,  when  one  of  them  finally  pulled 
him  down  with  a  vicious  diving  tackle. 
This  hurt  him  again,  of  course.  When  I 
came  up,  Allen  and  several  of  the  others 
were  trying  to  make  Sulden  lie  still  a 
moment  or  so,  but  he  would  insist  upon 
getting  on  his  feet  again.  The  game  was 
delayed,  though,  for  the  boy  was  in  no  con- 
dition to  play. 

"That's  the  gritty  boy,"  exclaimed  Moore, 
admiringly.  "  Bad  leg,  eh?  it'll  be  all  right 
in  a  minute." 

"  It's  all  right  now,  I  tell  you,"  answered 
Sulden. 

But  Allen  thought  differently. 

"  You  cannot  play  any  more  on  that, 
Sulden,"  he  said. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         2O/ 

"Why,  Cap, —  I'm  not  hurt,  —  don't  put 
me  out,"  pleaded  the  boy,  though  there  was 
a  trace  of  pain  in  his  voice. 

"  But  you  are,"  I  answered. 

He  shook  off  my  supporting  hand,  and 
pushed  through  the  crowd  of  Belle  Monte 
students,  who  had  taken  advantage  of  the 
delay  to  throng  ou.t  on  the  field.  He  stag- 
gered, and  would  have  fallen  had  they  not 
caught  him. 

It  was  then  that  Belle  Monte  forgave 
Sulden,  for  his  own  sake.  Gently  did  half 
a  dozen  Allies  raise  him  to  their  shoulders. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  him  ? "  shouted 
Humphries. 

"  He's  all  right !  "  roared  a  hundred  voices. 
Then  followed  three  long  cheers  for  Sulden. 
Though  this  made  him  very  happy,  still  I 
knew  he  would  not  be  content  with  being 
left  out  of  the  game.  Allen  was  calling  a 
substitute,  when  Sulden,  who  had  freed  him- 
self from  the  Belle  Monte  crowd,  limped  up 
to  him. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  put  me  out,  are 
you  ?  "  he  asked,  anxiously.  "  This  leg's  all 


2O8         THE   SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

right  now,  Cap,  I'll  swear  it  is,"  and  he 
bravely  tried  to  take  a  step  or  two  without 
limping. 

"  But  it  may  lay  you  up,  if  you  play  on  it 
any  more,"  answered  Allen. 

"Oh,  no,  it  won't,  Cap,  —  let  me  stay, — 
do  let  me  stay.  Why,  Cap  —  you'll  not  put 
me  out  of  this  game,  now ! " 

The  pain,  I  knew  he  felt,  found  no  expres- 
sion in  his  face.  It  was  all  anxiety,  so  I 
could  not  help  but  speak  a  word  for 
him. 

"  Let  him  stay,  Cap,"  I  said,  though  at 
any  other  time  I  would  have  wanted  him 
put  out,  for  he  was  really  in  no  fit  condition 
to  play. 

Belle  Monte  caught  up  the  cry:  "Let 
him  stay,  Cap,  —  let  him  stay !  " 

The  game  went  on  with  Sulden  in  his 
place.  It  was  only  the  boy's  grit  that  kept 
him  going  at  all,  and,  at  that,  he  was  down 
after  nearly  every  rush.  But  there  were 
just  a  few  minutes  more  to  play.  During 
this  interval  we  made  another  touch-down. 
Belle  Monte,  having  given  her  rivals  such  a 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         2OQ 

thorough  beating,  was  entirely  satisfied.  So, 
by  the  time  the  whistle  blew,  the  excitement 
and  bitter  rivalry  with  which  the  game  began 
had  subsided  to  nothing  more  than  ordinary 
interest. 

But  right  on  through  to  the  end,  the 
cheers  for  Sulden  never  ceased.  Each  time 
he  went  down  and  would  gamely  rise  again, 
they  were  renewed.  Belle  Monte  was  now 
as  willing  to  forget  as  Sulden  was  anxious 
to  have  forgotten. 

It  was  all  so  splendid  —  so  great.  They 
were  receiving  back  the  outcast,  and  he  was 
struggling  there  before  them,  giving  them 
in  the  true  Belle  Monte  fashion  stern  proof 
of  his  worthiness  to  their  confidence.  In- 
terest had  ceased  to  centre  in  the  game 
as  a  contest  between  Belle  Monte  and 
Ashville.  For  all  of  Belle  Monte  it 
was  only  Sulden's  game  —  Sulden's  vic- 
tory. 

I'll  tell  you  it  made  me  feel  happy,  and 
you  may  know  how  the  boy  must  have  felt, 
despite  his  hurts  and  bruises. 

When  the  end  came  at  last,  we  other 


2IO         THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK. 

players  were  forgotten,  but  we  did  not  care. 
With  cheer  after  cheer  they  picked  him  up, 
and  bore  him  across  the  field.  They 
crowded  all  around  him. 

Here  he  was,  a  hero ;  it  seemed  impos- 
sible. 

I  was  pushing  my  way  into  the  crowd, 
when  some  one  grabbed  me  by  the  arm. 

"  Here  !  "  shouted  a  voice,  which  I  hardly 
distinguished  above  the  roar,  "  bring  him 
over  that  way,  his  mother  wants  to  see 
him." 

I  plunged  in  through  the  throng,  shoulder- 
ing boys  right  and  left,  until  I  finally  man- 
aged to  push  myself  close  to  those  leading 
the  procession,  who,  to  my  surprise,  were 
Humphries  and  Edmondson,  arm  in  arm. 
I  shouted  into  Humphries's  ear  to  turn  off 
to  the  left,  where  the  carriages  were,  and 
told  him  why. 

They  did  as  I  said,  and  soon  we  were 
crowding  along  the  line  of  vehicles.  The 
instant  I  saw  Mrs.  Sulden,  I  knew,  by  her 
look,  she  had  heard  all  that  had  gone 
before. 


THE   SUBSTITUTE    QUARTERBACK.         211 

Evelyn  told  me  of  it  afterward.  When 
her  mother  saw  Harry  go  down  in  nearly 
every  rush,  the  poor  lady  became  desperate. 
She  started  to  get  out  of  the  carriage  and 
make  him  quit  the  game.  Then  it  was, 
Evelyn  told  her  the  whole  story  in  a  few 
words.  It  cost  her  a  hard  struggle,  but 
pride  finally  prevailed  over  anxiety.  She 
had  waited  through  the  remainder  of  the 
game  without  another  word.  . 

They  had  been  standing  up  in  the  car- 
riage, waving  their  handkerchiefs,  but,  as 
the  boys  drew  near,  Mrs.  Sulden  descended 
to  the  ground.  The  crowd  gathered  all 
around.  Those  bearing  Sulden  stopped, 
and  eased  him  slowly  to  his  feet.  He 
hobbled  with  pain.  The  cheering  ceased 
suddenly  and  completely.  As  if  by  com- 
mon impulse,  hats  went  off  all  around. 
Sulden  could  not  well  walk  alone,  so  I  put 
my  arm  around  him  and  helped  him  the  few 
steps  toward  his  mother. 

The  boy's  head  was  bent  forward,  and 
he  was  mumbling  something  that  I  could 
hardly  catch. 


212         THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

"  Can  —  you  —  forgive  —  mother  —  " 

She  did  not  speak,  she  did  not  brush 
away  the  gathering  tears.  She  looked 
straight  at  him  —  and  such  a  look! 

It  was  but  a  moment,  though,  for  she 
caught  sight  of  the  blood  spots  on  his 
jacket  front.  Then,  dirt-grimed  and  sod- 
stained  as  he  was,  she  threw  her  arms 
around  him  and  pressed  him  close. 

"  My  boy  —  "  was  everything  she  said. 

With  all  her  womanly  fears,  she  was  a 
true  Spartan  mother  at  last,  for  she  was 
thinking  more  then  of  her  son's  honour 
than  the  hurts  he  might  have  received. 
She  held  him  off  a  moment  —  she  hardly 
realised  he  was  her  son.  It  made  him  seem 
so  different,  —  more  like  a  man,  —  yes,  and 
more  like  his  father. 

She  would  have  taken  him  from  us  then 
and  there,  but,  no,  the  boys  had  picked  him 
up  once  more.  Motherly  pride  overcoming 
anxiety,  she  smiled  happily  after  him, 
through  her  tears,  as  he  was  borne  away 
amid  Belle  Monte's  pealing  yell. 

I    looked    up    at    Sulden.      That    same 


THE  SUBSTITUTE   QUARTERBACK. 

bright  smile  I  had  seen  before  the  game 
was  lighting  up  his  face  once  more.  It 
was  indeed  the  greatest  day  of  his  life. 
Yes,  and  the  happiest  of  mine,  too ! 


THE    END. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  957  242     1 


